Here are the most useful Apple Vision Pro apps at launch

Apple’s Vision Pro is here — along with a solid collection of third-party launch apps. Although there are some big-name omissions (Netflix, YouTube and Spotify), the headset already supports over a million compatible App Store apps, Apple’s first-party offerings and over 600 apps developed specifically for the “spatial computing” device. Here are the notable third-party Vision Pro apps you can install on day one.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft didn’t skimp on its entry into the Vision Pro era. Seven of the company’s Office apps are available to install on launch day. These include Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Loop.

The Windows maker added several tools unique to the mixed-reality headset. For example, Word has a focus mode to block out distractions, PowerPoint includes an immersive environment for practicing presentations in front of a virtual audience and Excel lets you quickly move documents to other apps using Vision Pro’s pinch-to-drag gesture.

Microsoft Teams uses Vision Pro’s “Persona” feature, which gives you a digital avatar. Persona matches your digital representation’s facial expressions to yours; this may give off uncanny valley vibes to your colleagues, but it could also make your virtual self appear more lifelike. In addition, Microsoft’s VisionOS apps include Copilot, the company’s generative AI assistant that can draft text, create summaries and generate PowerPoint presentations.

Disney+

Given Disney’s longstanding collaboration with Apple (Steve Jobs sat on the company’s board, and Bob Iger sat on Apple’s until 2019), perhaps it isn’t surprising Disney went all-out with its Vision Pro app.

The app lets you stream Disney+ content in one of four 3D virtual environments: the Disney+ Theater (inspired by Hollywood’s historic El Capitan), the Scare Floor from Monsters Inc., Tony Stark’s Avengers Tower and Luke Skywalker’s land speeder on Tatooine. Although we’ve seen virtual environments in countless Meta Quest (and other VR) streaming apps, Vision Pro’s higher resolution should make them feel more immersive.

Disney’s VisionOS app also includes a selection of supported 3D films. The library consists of “dozens of popular movies,” including Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Elemental and Encanto. (Disney promises the list will expand over time.) You can also buy or rent more 3D movies from the Apple TV apps’ Store tab.

Zoom

Zoom is also an early Vision Pro supporter. Like Microsoft Teams, Zoom’s VisionOS app will use Apple’s Personas, displaying you in calls as a 3D virtual avatar that matches your facial expressions and hand movements. The company says you can scale the app’s spatial setup “to the perfect size,” ensuring you feel like you’re in the same room as your colleagues.

A future update to the Zoom app will add support for 3D object sharing, letting designers share and collaborate on 3D models in their virtual space. The app will also eventually include Zoom Team Chat and the ability to pin your fellow meeting participants in space around you. Zoom says the latter will help you “feel more connected to the people in the meeting.”

MLB and NBA

America’s second and third most popular sports leagues are represented on Vision Pro. The NBA app lets you stream up to five live broadcasts in multi-view while glancing at other game scores and stats off to the side. Meanwhile, the MLB app offers fully immersive environments, including a ballpark with a view from home plate and stats for each pitch. A future update (scheduled for around Opening Day) will add access to “additional MLB.TV content” for subscribers.

The world’s premier baseball league shared its enthusiasm for the app. “If there is an opportunity for a baseball fan to enjoy our sport on any given platform, then we need to have a presence where we can deliver unique storytelling experiences,” wrote MLB Deputy Commissioner Noah Garden.

Max

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max is available on Vision Pro, offering access to the streaming service’s movies, series, news and sports. The company says select titles will be available in 4K and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.

Like other VisionOS apps, Max will offer at least one virtual environment in which you can stream content: the Iron Throne room from Game Of Thrones and House of the Dragon. “The intricate Targaryen-era adornments will make fans feel like they’re watching the programming available on Max in Westeros during the height of their reign,” wrote HBO / Max Content Chair Casey Bloys.

Lowe’s Style Studio

Lowe’s will use the Vision Pro to make it easier to imagine ways to spend money in its stores. The Lowe’s Style Studio app lets headset owners “step into an immersive, interactive 3D kitchen scene,” allowing you to “experiment in ways that weren’t possible until now.” The idea is to inspire you by stepping into a virtual space “curated by Lowe’s professional designers” with hundreds of customizable real-world materials.

Game Room

Stockholm-based studio Resolution Games launched the Game Room app, which lets you play tabletop classics in mixed reality or fully virtual environments. Games include chess, solitaire, hearts, yacht and (the Battleship-like) Sea Battle.

It supports one to four players in online play against foes using different Apple devices (not just fellow Vision Pro owners). It also supports single-player against AI opponents.

Other confirmed apps and games

Here are more highlights from Vision Pro’s collection of over 600 launch apps:

• AmazeVR Concerts – Front-row virtual concerts

• Animoog Galaxy – Create music in 3D space

• Apple Arcade games (more than 250 games, including NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, Sonic Dream Team, and TMNT Splintered Fate)

• Blackbox – Spatial puzzles

• Box – Cloud file management and collaboration, including with 3D objects

• CellWalk – Tour a bacteria cell

• Complete HeartX – Anatomy, diagnoses and treatments

• Decathlon – Shop in 3D

• djay – Turntables and mixing

• Exploring Mars – Explore Mars with NASA rovers

• Fantastical – Calendar and tasks

• Healium – Relax in nature scenes

• IMAX – View 2D and 3D content

• Insight Heart – Learn about the human heart

• J.Crew Virtual Closet – Immersive shopping

• JigSpace – Interactive presentations in 3D

• Lego Builder’s Journey – Build with 3D LEGO bricks

• Loóna – Relaxing 3D dioramas

• Lungy: Spaces – Breathing exercises and meditation

• MindNode – Mind maps in spatial reality

• Mytheresa: Luxury Experience – Shopping with live consultations

• Navi – Real-time translation with live captions

• NowPlaying – A peek behind the music

• Numerics – Live business widgets

• Odio – Personal sound spaces

• OmniFocus and OmniPlan – Project management visualizations

• PGA Tour Vision – Immersive golf experience

• Red Bull TV – 3D maps of races / immersive videos

• Sky Guide and Night Sky – Your personal planetarium

• Skatrix Pro – Physics-driven skateboarding

• solAR – Explore the solar system

• Spool – Make music videos

• STAGE+ – Classical music performances

• Super Fruit Ninja – Slice and dice

• Synth Riders – Immersive gameplay

• tappr.tv – Discover new music and choreography

• Void-X – Retro arcade shooter

• Wayfair Decorify – Redesign your space

• Webex – Immersive meetings

• Zillow Immerse – Virtual home tours, interactive floor plans

For more on the Apple Vision Pro, you can read Engadget’s early impressions from Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar and a second hands-on with Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low and Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman.