Apple Vision Pro could get an essential gaming add-on one day

(Image credit: Apple)

published 11 March 2024

Despite Apple's protestations that it's a "spatial computer" and a productivity booster, one of the most exciting things about any VR headset is gaming and the same goes for the Apple Vision Pro.

Apple's $3499 headset might be more expensive than the competition but what it currently doesn't have is something found on the $549 PSVR2, or rather - a pair of things. Controllers.

Instead of controllers, the Vision Pro tracks your hands with downward-facing cameras, it's genuinely impressive but gamers will always prefer the precision and immediacy of a controller. They might just be in luck too.

According to a patent discovered by Apple Insider, Apple could consider adding controllers to the headset at a later date. The patent for "Handheld Controllers with charging and storage systems" seems to show that the company has at least considered it. There's only one way to describe what the controller looks like in the patent, a giant Apple Pencil and it sounds like the plan was for it to attach magnetically to the headset like the Pencil does with the iPad. Hopefully, if it does ever happen, it does have a much better battery life than the PSVR2's controllers.

Personally, for a serious gaming controller, I'd need a joystick and face buttons but who knows what Apple have up their sleeve, it is directly referred to as a "controller" in the patent which normally has gaming rather than graphic design connotations. I don't think we'll see this controller anytime soon, but it could be an indicator for what to expect with future Apple Vision Pro iterations.

The iPhone 15 saw Apple go big on gaming with new raytracing capabilities, and I'm all for the company throwing its hat in the ring when it comes to the gaming space. Now we just need some killer gaming apps, I doubt Sony will lend Apple Horizon: Call of the Mountain will they? With the Vision Pro's boundary-pushing hardware, it would be fascinating to see exactly what it's capable of with the latest games.

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Andy was T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide – where he got paid to play with ChatGPT everyday. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.