Check Out Apple's Vision Pro Headset and Everything in the Box - CNET

The Apple Vision Pro is the company's first AR/VR headset and the best wearable display I've ever put on. Here's a closer look at the device itself and all the accessories that come with it.

Here's a list of what's in the box:

Two differently designed head straps for different fits

An extra face cushion (one's a bit thicker than the other, for those wearing prescription lenses)

A proprietary battery with a cable

A cushioned front-cover cozy for the headset's glass front

A USB-C 30-watt charging adapter

A USB-C cable

An Apple polishing cloth (which Apple says should be the only cloth you use to polish the Vision Pro, but microfiber cloths should be fine)

An instruction manual

A carrying case seems like a must for such a potentially delicate product with a curved glass front, but Apple's nice padded case costs an extra $199. Inside, the Vision Pro is like a very bulbous set of headphones. It's bigger than my large backpack can hold.

Apple does include a cushioned front cover, however, to protect the glass front of the headset during transport.

Here's one of the two included straps seen from the back. This one is called the Solo Knit headband and feels like a padded ski goggle head strap, stretching around the back of my head and tightening with a knob on the side. It's comfy at first, but after half an hour the headset feels top-heavy and pushes in on my cheeks a bit. It's fine for short sessions.

The head straps snap on easily and detach with a little tug on orange fabric pull tabs.

The proprietary battery is big, and lasts around two hours.

The battery cable to the Vision Pro is odd: It's a locking, unique circular attachment that needs to be slotted in at an angle and then turned to lock in place. It's to prevent losing power when using Vision Pro, but it also means you can't use a regular USB-C cable to power up or charge the headset unless you route it through the Vision Pro's large, heavy (about 0.75-pound) battery. The fabric-covered cord to the battery, which isn't removable, is long enough to tuck nearby but not long enough to snake across a room.

Turning the large digital crown on top of the headset brings a virtual environment in, like a curtain. It can be partial or full. When fully surrounded, you're basically enveloped in VR. The crown controls volume, too, when you gaze at the volume icon, switching functions like it's powered by mind control.

The Vision Pro doesn't work with eyeglasses. Instead, I wore custom prescription inserts, which cost $149 (you can also use it with your contact lenses).

One of the strangest features of Vision Pro is EyeSight, a feature that shows a virtual version of my eyes on the front of the headset. The goggles aren't see-though. Instead, what you see here is a 3D scan animated on a lenticular display under the glass.

The dual 4K micro-OLED displays, a technology that will make its way to other headsets in the future, are rich, vibrant and way beyond what competing devices offer.

Here's a look at a the Disney Plus app. Right now, the closest thing to a killer app the Vision Pro has is its cinema-level video playback. Movies can float in your room like hovering TVs, or be placed in a virtual cinema mode.

Here's a view of what I'm seeing through the Vision Pro as I play a game of chess. To manipulate virtual objects I use hand gestures, for example pinching a chess piece to pick it up and move it on the virtual board.

At the time of this review, prelaunch, the App Store doesn't have many Vision Pro-optimized apps. It's all the rest of the iOS apps on tap that make Vision Pro interesting. I've already loaded Slack, X, Microsoft's apps, Paramount Plus, Luma Fusion and Darkroom. Using them in a VR headset is unique, and makes me feel like I'm extending my workspace all around me.

Vision Pro can also act as a computer. Here I'm working with Apple's Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard. Inside the display I see virtual versions of the keys and trackpad and can surround myself with apps and even connect to a Mac computer, using the Vision Pro as a monitor.

The Vision Pro costs $3,500. At this price, and with so few VisionOS launch apps, the Vision Pro isn't a device I'd recommend to any of my friends or family. Instead I'd recommend you get a free demo at an Apple Store, marvel at its features and wait and see.