Apple Ar ControllerSource: MacRumors

What you need to know

  • A photo has surfaced of a purported controller for Apple's AR/VR headset.
  • MacRumors claims these are likely being used for internal testing.
  • They are not a consumer product that Apple would release.

MacRumors has published photos of an internal testing controller, purportedly being used by Apple to test its AR/VR headset.

According to the report:

MacRumors has obtained a photo 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 headset, released in 2016. 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.

Apple Ar Vr Headset ControllerSource: MacRumors

The controller looks very similar to an HTC Give controller that Apple was reported to be using for testing back in 2017. MacRumors has also published a look at an Apple AR/VR game titled "crosswalk bowling game":

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 boarding 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.

Crosswalk Ar BowlingSource: MacRumors

The report suggests Apple remains deeply invested in AR/VR project development, but that it may have slowed recently due to the coronavirus pandemic.