VR hand controller support could revitalize the software market for the Apple Vision Pro.
A new report says that Apple has approached Sony in an effort to bring handheld game controller support — and presumably more games — to the Apple Vision Pro. The company is also considering an Apple Pencil-like “wand” controller as well.
Bloomberg reports that a future update to visionOS will bring support for third-party hand controllers, including Sony’s PlayStation VR2 controllers. Apple has also reached out to third-party developers in an effort to bring more games to the Apple Vision Pro, with support for controllers as an inducement.
Traditional game ontrollers used with the Xbox and PlayStation are currently supported in the Apple Vision Pro, but only for Apple Arcade games. Bringing support for VR controllers, and encouraging developers to support more VR games for the platform, would likely increase sales of Apple’s headset.
Supporting hand controllers could augment Apple’s own eye-and-hand movement detection, attracting more development for games and other applications. Bloomberg has also speculated that Apple could go as far as helping fund more programs for the Apple Vision Pro in an effort to develop more momentum for the product.
The Apple Vision Pro has sold modestly, as might be expected from an all-new product category without an existing mature market. Apple is believed to have sold around 370,000 units in the first three quarters of sales, with another 50,000 units expected by the end of 2024.
More importantly, people who own an Apple Vision Pro are not using it as much as the company had expected, indicating a need to beef up software options for it. The company has until recently been focused on bringing its own Apple Pencil-like “wand” controller to the Apple Vision Pro for more precise types of work, but now sees value in adapting VR hand controllers to the platform as well.
