HOW IT WORKS VR headsets

With rumours of Apple entering the arena, we explore current VR headsets

- Cliff Joseph

YOU WILL LEARN How VR headsets work

Key fact

Augmented reality (AR) – sometimes referred to as mixed reality (MR) – isn’t the same as true VR. Rather than creating an entire 3D virtual world, AR/MR glasses or headsets superimpose computer graphics over the real world that you see all around you. That’s already possible using games like Pokémon Go, which displays cute little critters on your iPhone screen, rather than an expensive headset.

It’s been more than a decade since Apple launched the first iPad, back in 2010, and although Apple has introduced new products since then, such as the HomePod and Apple Watch, many people are waiting eagerly for ‘the next big thing’ that will take Apple into entirely new territory. A few years ago the rumour mill was eagerly looking forward to an Apple Car, but the zeitgeist has now moved on and there’s an absolute frenzy of speculation about a new virtual reality (VR) headset that will take Apple into the brave new world(s) of the metaverse for the first time.

The rumours are flying so thick and fast that it’s hard to keep up. A couple of years ago, there was talk of Apple Glass – high-tech spectacles, similar to the ill-fated Google Glass. Then, as the entire tech industry went crazy for the metaverse, the attention focused on a fully-fledged virtual reality (VR) headset that would be capable of depicting immersive virtual worlds with slick 3D graphics. Along the way there have also been rumours that Apple was opting for a simpler augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) headset.