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Apple tested ‘finger-worn device’ for Vision Pro gaming, but is currently not planning any VR controller support

When Apple unveiled Vision Pro at WWDC, there was one thing the keynote and subsequent demos didn’t focus on: gaming. There are a multitude of reasons why the first version of Vision Pro might not be an ideal gaming headset, but one of the biggest is Apple’s lack of support for VR game controllers.

Bloomberg now reports that Apple “isn’t planning its own Vision Pro game controller, nor is it actively planning support for third-party VR accessories.”

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman explains that Apple is going “all-in on hand and eye control for Vision Pro.” This is a big difference between Apple’s headset and products from companies like Meta, which tend to offer robust support for VR game controllers.

Gurman also reports that Apple “explored the idea of a finger-worn device that would work as a controller.” The company also tested using third-party VR controllers from companies like HTC with Vision.

Ultimately, however, Apple “decided that tracking hand and eye movements without an accessory was a more elegant solution.”

Despite feedback from developers and VR gamers themselves, Gurman says Apple isn’t planning to change its mind on this decision. “As of now, I’m told that Apple isn’t planning its own Vision Pro game controller, nor is it actively planning support for third-party VR accessories,” he writes.

During the Vision Pro announcement at WWDC, Apple touted that Vision Pro will support games from Apple Arcade. The example in the keynote showed a Vision Pro user playing NBA 2K in a 2D visionOS window with a PlayStation DualSense controller.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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