Open Hearts is the first immersive experience that highlights the Vision Pro’s potential

Key Takeaways

The Weeknd’s music video for Open Hearts is available for free on Vision Pro.
The video offers an intimate and immersive experience using Spatial Audio.
To succeed, Vision Pro needs more unique, immersive content beyond productivity features.

As someone who truly believes in the potential of Vision Pro, I haven’t been quite convinced why I should break out my wallet and spend $3,499 on the headset. Having tested Vision Pro in the past, I can’t argue that the tech itself isn’t impressive. However, it still feels like the early days of the platform — and not only for the hardware, which is a tad too bulky to wear for long periods.

There’s also a limited suite of compelling software outside of productivity tools and cross-ecosystem uses like Messages and Photos. However, The Weeknd: Open Hearts feels like it could be a tipping point if Apple can continue to capitalize on creating authentically unique experiences like this.

The three-minute-long music video features the critically acclaimed Canadian musician and was produced to promote his new song Open Hearts. The Weeknd: Open Hearts is available to view for free on Vision Pro. Alternatively, Apple is offering in-store demos to experience it yourself.

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How The Weeknd: Open Hearts sets itself apart

I starred The Weeknd dead in the eyes and lived to tell the tale

The Weeknd: Open Hearts is just about as routine as any other music video. Directed by Anton Tammi, it features the titular artist in the back of an ambulance as it races through the streets of Los Angeles. The backdrop begins to shift into a more surreal and haunting landscape, all the while The Weeknd takes it all in bit by bit. The song itself is really catchy, but it’s the visuals and use of perspective that really caught my attention.

Apple Vision Pro

Brand: Apple
Resolution (per eye): 3660 x 3200 per eye
Display Type: Micro-OLED
Storage: 1TB / 2TB / 4TB
Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Battery Life: 2-2.5 hours (estimated)
Tracking Technology: LEDs and infrared cameras
Audio: Two speakers with spatial audio
Weight: 22.9 ounces (650 grams)
Refresh rate: 90Hz
Processor: Apple M2 + Apple R1
RAM: 16GB unified memory

Tonally, there are a lot of uncanny elements when viewing The Weeknd: Open Hearts. Using a 180-degree media format and ultra-high-resolution immersive video and Spatial Audio, it feels like a very intimate experience. The The Weeknd: Open Hearts immersive experience isn’t trying to make you feel like you’ve stepped foot in the video, though. Instead, it plays with its forced perspective, which can look amazing at times. Without giving too much away, some moments also feel slightly uncomfortable.

There’s a distinct moment when The Weeknd is staring directly into the camera. Without anything necessarily going on around him or in the background, Tammi forces the user’s perspective to look him dead in the eyes. The experience is far different from similar shots you’d see on TV or in a movie. This felt more personal as the Vision Pro brings you far closer than what you’d experience in other formats. There’s another moment when the world shifts from completely normal into the surreal that I took note of. Forcing the perspective again, the use of Vision Pro offers uniquely immersive elements. These likely won’t translate when the Open Hearts video is made available outside its Vision Pro exclusivity.

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Immersive experiences are needed for the Vision Pro to succeed

Apple has slowly been investing in a catalog of immersive videos but needs more

One of the sticker-selling promises of Vision Pro was that Apple plans to release exclusive content for the headset. But when it comes to entertainment, Apple has been selective with its partners. On top of The Weeknd: Open Hearts, the tech giant has partnered with Disney to create What If…? An Immersive Story, a Vision Pro-exclusive spin-off to the animated Marvel series. Last month, Apple also released Submerged, a two-minute-long immersive film.

It was written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Edward Berger. On November 22, Concert for One is releasing as the next Apple Immersive music experience, featuring intimate performances from the world’s biggest artists. While this is a great start, more immersive content is definitely needed. While I can’t speak to Concert of One, the majority of immersive experiences are bite-sized and digestible in minutes. What If…? An Immersive Story is an outlier as it’s substantially longer.

Usually, a fancy new headset comes out and the first thing we think of is “Can it play games?”

Creating and releasing truly authentically unique experiences is important to Vision Pro. As it currently stands, there are a lot of interesting integrations of Vision Pro across the Apple ecosystem. However, sadly, most of them are focused on productivity. Being able to create 3D spatial photos, play games in mixed reality or sit with someone on FaceTime using Vision Pro is novel, but there needs to be a killer app or fundamental reason why users should adopt Vision Pro. The Weeknd: Open Hearts isn’t necessarily that, but it represents what I’d like to see as the headset’s future.

I’ve had countless conversations with colleagues, friends, and family members about why VR, AR, and mixed reality could become a big part of how we consume content. For years, the industry has been thinking small. Usually, a fancy new headset comes out and the first thing we think of is “Can it play games?” Looking at it from a more macro level, I want to see Vision Pro offer more experiences that truly can’t be found elsewhere. Content like Submerged is unique and interesting, but I’d love to see a full-fledged 90-minute long narrative being told in the Apple Immersive Video format. Apple should also be leveraging its partnership with MLB, and Apple Music to put Vision Pro users in the stands of games and concerts. Perhaps with a pay-per-view format, I could imagine how compelling it’d be to strap on my Vision Pro headset and experience a Taylor Swift Eras Tour show without paying over $400.

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I’m still not convinced I need a Vision Pro

On top of a catalog of content to keep me satisfied, the Vision Pro still needs some refinement

This year has been interesting for Apple. While the company continues to innovate and impress users across iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, etc., launching Vision Pro saw a few hiccups. Being a Canadian, I had to sit back and watch user reactions in the US, where Vision Pro was exclusive for several months. By the time it arrived here, the narrative had already been set that while the technology is attractive, there’s simply not enough here for it to be worth $3,499 — and I don’t know if anything will in the foreseeable future.

Aside from investing more money into compelling software and experiences, the Vision Pro doesn’t lend itself to the same uses that its other flagship products do. My Apple Watch, for instance, is a device I put on each day and interact with all the time. The same for my iPhone. Apple’s Vision Pro is totally different — when I’m using Vision Pro, that’s it. There’s no passive element there. It’s a big to-do to put the heavy headset on, and to find a place for the external battery. Apple truly needs to find ways to make its mixed reality future more passive. Whether that’s truncating the technology into a more elegant form factor or releasing a cheaper version of the headset.