Apple's VisionOS Update Enhances VR Cloud Streaming with Foveated Streaming
Apple has recently released an update for the Vision Pro, introducing Foveated Streaming, a bandwidth-saving feature similar to the one Valve is bringing to its Steam Frame headset. This update, as noted by VR supply chain analyst Brad Lynch, brings significant improvements to the user experience.
Foveated Streaming, as explained by Apple's developer documentation, utilizes the Vision Pro's eye-tracking capabilities to optimize the streamed image, ensuring the highest quality in the central part of the user's view. This technology is particularly beneficial for existing virtual reality games, experiences, or applications designed for desktop computers or cloud servers, allowing seamless streaming to the Vision Pro.
One of the key advantages of Foveated Streaming is its ability to prioritize high-quality content only where necessary, based on the user's gaze. This approach ensures optimal performance while conserving bandwidth. Additionally, Apple highlights a hybrid computing approach, enabling the display of visionOS spatial content alongside streaming content. For instance, a flight simulator can render a cockpit using RealityKit, while processor-intensive landscapes are streamed from a remote computer to the device.
However, there's a crucial distinction between Apple's implementation and Valve's approach. Valve's Foveated Rendering is applied globally, benefiting all Steam apps without additional integration. Their focus is on local PC streaming via Wi-Fi 6E. In contrast, Vision Pro apps and games require specific integration with Apple's Foveated Streaming technology. Apple also supports NVIDIA's CloudXR SDK, enabling developers to stream existing VR apps to the Vision Pro.
Despite the similarities, the author suggests that Apple's primary goal is not to compete with Steam Frame in the consumer market. The high price of the Vision Pro M5 refresh ($3,500) and the need for specific integration with Vision Pro streaming make it less appealing for PC VR developers to create consumer-facing apps. However, for enterprise users, this update could be valuable, as it offers a feature that Steam Frame aims to provide, potentially reducing the need for additional hardware purchases.
The recent memory and storage crisis has further emphasized the importance of such updates, as component prices have soared, prompting Valve to reassess the pricing and release date of Steam Frame. Apple's strategic move with Foveated Streaming may position it well in the enterprise sector, where the ability to stream compute-intensive apps to existing headsets could be a game-changer.
