Disney CEO Bob Iger appeared at Apple’s WWDC 2023 event Monday to bolster the reveal of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro augmented reality headset that is due for release in 2024. There, it was revealed that Disney+ will be coming to the headset’s roster of launch-window apps.
“We’re so proud to yet again be partnering the greatest storytelling company in the world with the most innovative technology company in the world to bring you real life magic,” Iger said, alongside a sizzle reel for Disney+ on Vision Pro that hinted at a three-dimensional, more immersive experience for viewers than those viewing the streamer on a standard screen.
It’s unclear what imagery from the promo, which featured interactive “Mandalorian,” National Geographic, and Disney World content, was purely marketing spectacle and what was actually representative of content the average consumer would be able to interface with firsthand when the device is released to the public. Given that the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset is still a ways off, this could just be a representation of the idea behind Disney+’s presence on the AR platform, rather than how it will actually be implemented.
Disney did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The Apple Vision Pro headset is Apple’s stab at creating a device as genre-shaking as the iPhone was for smartphones, only this time for the mixed reality space. It will rely on sight, sound, and physical gestures to be commanded, not requiring a controller as is the norm for other headsets. It will also feature a see-through front that allows a person’s eyes to remain visible while wearing the headset, preventing the “cut off from the outside world” effect most other mixed reality devices cast upon their wearers.
With retail pricing starting at $3,500, this puts Apple’s mixed reality offering in the same price league as Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, which had a $3,500 launch tag. That device did not break through to the mainstream, relegating it to specialist sectors wherein advanced mixed reality headsets provided unique benefits (the medical field, for example). However, Apple’s making a bet the average person will care about the Vision Pro, if Disney+ promos are anything to go by.
