More than spatial video — Apple Vision Pro will also feature spatial gaming

The Apple Vision Pro launches next month, with Apple finally revealing more details about what gaming will be like on the spatial computing headset. As it announced a February 2 launch date for the Apple Vision Pro , Apple is also filling in details about what to expect from the $3,499 headset, including some of the gaming experiences that will be available.

And it makes sense — while Apple may tout the headsets's productivity boosting features and the ability to watch videos unfold in front of you,, gaming figures to be a major draw. According to Apple, the Vision Pro will ship with support for more than 250 video games on Apple Arcade, including NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition and Sonic Dream Team.

Those games will all be playable in 2D on a screen inside the headset’s software. Vision Pro wearers will be able to assign the screen size of their choosing, allowing them to play on as big of a display as they want. Games will work with a variety of unidentified game controllers, Apple said. Previously, the company announced that the Vision Pro will support DualSense controllers at launch.

Perhaps more tantalizing, Apple’s Vision Pro will also support a number of titles that delivering spatial gaming. Some of those offerings include What the Golf?, Game Room , and Super Fruit Ninja. In a statement providing Vision Pro launch details, Apple didn’t say how many spatial games will be compatible with the Vision Pro at launch, but unlike the rest of the 2D titles coming to the device, spatial games will be capable of taking full “advantage of the powerful capabilities of Apple Vision Pro to transform the space around players, offering unique and engaging gameplay experiences.” Apple has stopped short of saying what you can expect from spatial games and exactly how the titles will use Vision Pro capabilities to improve the gaming experience.

The company and game makers have also been tight lipped on how the three identified spatial games will work and what features they’ll offer. We do know from first hand accounts of watching spatial video on the Vision Pro that such videos have greater depth and make you feel like you're right there in the action.

It's possible spatial gaming invokes the same kind of response. If that's the case, it would seem likely that Super Fruit Ninja will be a variation on the already popular Fruit Ninja franchise that puts you right in the midst of the gameplay. Similarly, a spatial version of What the Golf? would seemingly place you in the heart of the action.

Apple may be keeping specifics close to the vest, but it seems clear that the company wants to make entertainment a core component of the Vision Pro experience. In addition to spatial games, Apple will allow you to watch movies and television shows on a screen that appears to be 100 feet wide. At launch, the headset will support more than 150 3D titles and will come with an Immersive Video feature that places you inside a 180 degree, third dimensional 8K environment with spatial audio.

Apple Vision Pro preorders get underway January 19, ahead of the February release date..