Apple  Testing AR/ VR Headset With HTC Vive-Like Controller





Apple has expressed a profound interest in augmented reality in recent years,
 making a major push into the space with frameworks like ARKit and RealityKit,
 creative tools like Reality Composer and Reality Converter, and hardware like
 the LiDAR Scanner on the new iPad Pro and likely some iPhone 12 models.

Multiple reports have indicated that Apple also plans to release a combination
AR/VR headset by 2021 or 2022, and MacRumors has uncovered significant
 evidence of this project in a leaked build of iOS 14 that has been circulating.
MacRumors has obtained a photo from iOS 14 of what appears to be a generic
 looking controller for an AR/VR headset, with a very similar design as the
 controller for the HTC Vive Focus headset, released in 2018. Back in 2017,
 Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple engineers were
 using HTC Vive hardware for internal testing purposes.
Given the basic design of the controller, we suspect that it is for internal
 testing purposes only. Apple's consumer-facing controller would likely be
 much more polished.
Earlier this month, it was reported that iOS 14 contains a new augmented reality
 app codenamed "Gobi," and we believe that Apple is using this app along with
QR codes to test augmented reality experiences on its AR/VR headset. There are
 QR codes that trigger experiences related to the Apple Watch, Mac Pro, Apple Store,
 Starbucks, and a movie poster.
One particularly interesting augmented reality experience that Apple is testing is
 a "crosswalk bowling game," which we believe may allow Apple engineers to roll
 a virtual bowling ball
 across the crosswalk to knock down virtual bowling pins on the other side of the
street while waiting for
 the pedestrian light to change from stop to go.
This crosswalk bowling game can only be triggered at an intersection near an
 Apple office known as "Mathilda 3" at 555 N Mathilda Ave in Sunnyvale, California,
 which may be one of the locations that Apple is developing its AR/VR headset.
 This office is located roughly five miles from the company's Apple Park
headquarters in nearby Cupertino.
All of this suggests that Apple remains deeply invested in its AR/VR headset project,
 although development may have slowed as of late due to the ongoing pandemic
 that has forced many Apple engineers to work from home for now.

Apple AR Headset In Making A report from MacRumors has revealed significant
 evidence of the AR headset project in a leaked build of the iOS 14, which has also
 been circulating. The report further gives us an image of the iOS 14 that seems to
 be a generic-looking controller for an AR/VR headset. From the looks of it, the
 Apple AR headset looks quite familiar to the HTC Vive Focus headset, launched
 back in 2018. The design coincides with a Bloomberg report that noted Apple
 engineers were closely working with the HTC Vive hardware for internal testing
 purposes. The final product may be much more polished before reaching consumers.
 Apple AR Applications Various reports about the iOS 14 code have given us much
 information on what to expect. This includes a new augmented reality app with
 a codename 'Gobi', which is believed to be using QR codes to test the AR experiences
 on the Apple AR headset. The Gobi app could trigger experiences related to 
the Apple Watch, Apple Store or even Starbucks and a movie poster. Furthermore,
 Apple is said to developing an AR experience called 'crosswalk bowling game'. 
The game is believed to let players roll down a virtual bowling ball across a 
crosswalk to take down virtual bowling pins. While it's uncertain when these apps
or the Apple AR headset will launch, it simply confirms that the company is deeply 
invested in the AR/VR tech. Most Read Articles