The Apple Vision Pro headset won't arrive until early next year, but one of its premier features appears to be ready for prime time. And several people who have had the opportunity to test the headset seem unanimous in their verdict that you will like what you see.

Among the features Apple is touting with Vision Pro is the ability to enjoy spatial video on the headset's display. Spatial video adds an immersive 3D quality to the video playback experience. My colleague Mark Spoonauer went hands-on with the Apple Vision Pro and describes the spatial video viewing experience as one where the details, sounds, and textures seem to unfold before your eyes

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The experience was based on clips provided by Apple. Currently, Apple is offering a demo of viewing one's own spatial video with Vision Pro, and a few lucky tech writers had the opportunity to talk about their experiences with the headset.

While Vision Pro can capture spatial video on its own, most people will want to use their iPhone to record spatial video for the headset. With the just-released iOS 17.2 update, this feature is now available on both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Shooting horizontally will simultaneously capture video using both the wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses and process it into a seamless video.

When you look back at that video on your iPhone screen, it looks no different than any other video you have taken with your cell phone. But on Apple Vision Pro, it is a completely different experience. At least according to those who have tried it. The following is a summary of what early testers are saying about spatial video on the Apple Vision Pro.

Lance Ulanoff, writing for TechRadar, was impressed with how panoramic shots and spatial video looked when viewed with the Apple Vision Pro headset. quality and immersive experience," he wrote. But he preferred the immersive presentation of the spatial video, which "erases the boundaries and delivers each image almost entirely in the clouds." Ulanoff stated that he did not feel as if he were in the images, but that the images felt more real to him.

Ulanoff's text also includes some practical notes about the experience of using the Apple Vision Pro. For example, the headset's face cushion comes in a variety of curve styles to fit different contours of the user's face. Ulanov was also impressed with the ease with which spatial video and panoramic shots can be moved from the phone to the headset using AirDrop. A notification appears on the headset's display, and a simple pinch of the thumb and finger to "Accept" is all it takes to transfer the photo or video.

Money quote:

"In my model train video, the 3D spatial visual effects reminded me of the supposedly spurious tale of early movie theater audiences who ran screaming from the cinema upon seeing the film of an oncoming train. My video was not that intense, but my model train seemed to come to rest in my lap.

"Whether the Apple Vision Pro is for everyone remains to be seen, but the more I use it and the more I learn about it, the more convinced I am that Apple is about to create a seismic shift in our computing experience."

Scott Stein's impression of spatial video on the Apple Vision Pro for CNET is underscored by the vivid appearance of the images, which appear with 3D-like depth before your eyes. The sample video of a sushi restaurant looks "convincingly realistic," and Stein, like Ulanoff, is impressed with how easy the process of using the Apple headset is.

There are criticisms, however. Spatial video is recorded at 1080p resolution instead of 4K, and the difference in quality is clearly noticeable. Stein also notes that spatial video recording is currently limited to Apple's most expensive phones (the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999), while playback requires a $3500 headset.

Money Quote:

"The panoramic photos were amazing. The panoramic photo expanded to encompass me and felt like a window to other places.

"It's also a little disappointing that video can't be recorded at 4K resolution. Apple's Vision Pro headset has phenomenal quality and resolution, and when I viewed iPhone photos on the headset, zoomed in, and viewed panoramic photos in wrap-around mode as if I were in a crisp, immersive reproduction of a 360-degree photo of a place, it Once again, it became apparent. The spatial images look really nice, but I felt the desire to see them in a more fluid 60fps, 4K, or both. Someday."

Raymond Wong of Inverse described one of his more emotional reactions to seeing spatial video on the Apple Vision Pro. He writes that he feels as if he is transported back to the moment the video was recorded. In Wong's case, one of the samples included footage of a trip to a dim sum restaurant with his mother, and the depth of the video combined with the "dream-like" borders of the video in immersive mode made the experience come alive.

Wong also noted that panoramic photos taken at high resolution on a recent iPhone look much nicer on the Vision Pro. Still, he concludes that spatial video and panoramic viewing will be key selling points for Apple's headset.

Money quotes:

"Once people have the opportunity to view their content on the Vision Pro, they will have a better sense of when to tap the spatial video icon in the iPhone camera app and when not to.

"The Apple Vision Pro is the best virtual big screen I have ever used, and although I have only used the Vision Pro three times, each for a short 30-minute session, I am convinced it is the best (at least for a consumer product). This screen looks like a big screen projected right in front of you (or on the ceiling).

The spatial video capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro, as described by Josh Rubin in Cool Hunting, primarily address the challenges of capturing video intended for an immersive, curved viewing experience that is recorded on a flat screen. To that end, Rubin's article includes some helpful tips for those who want to record spatial video now, ahead of Vision Pro's release next year.

Rubin talks about how lighting affects video and also points out that it is best to keep the subject you are shooting at a distance of 2 to 8 feet. Also, too much movement should be avoided.

Words of wisdom:

"Several times during the recording, the iPhone warned me, 'We recommend more light. I was very surprised to see that content in the headset. The movies still had depth, the image quality remained crisp, and there was no graininess."

"I was very surprised when I viewed the content on the headset. [Panoramas from smaller, closer spaces, such as the Temple of Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, and JR's epic collage of the Miami Chronicles, were rendered perfectly in the headset and felt almost 3D, even though they appeared distorted in the flat view.

Brian Tong summarized his impressions of recording spatial video with the Apple Vision Pro in a YouTube video. While some of the footage he recorded can be seen, it is normal 2D, not the immersive 3D-like experience described by others.

The 17-minute video includes many tips on how best to capture spatial video, as well as impressions of panoramic shots with an Apple headset. There is also a commentary on wearing the headset.