Vision Pro Introduces ‘Optional’ and ‘Required’ App Designations for Motion Controller Use

Okay, so let’s dive into this whole Vision Pro thing from WWDC. Head’s up: there’s some wild stuff about PSVR 2 controllers and something called a Logitech motion stylus. Apparently, these are rolling out with visionOS 26. Why am I excited about a stylus? No clue. Probably never gonna use it. But it’s cool, I guess.

Anyway, Apple had this developer session — not even live, just recorded, but hey, whatever works. They spilled the beans on how motion controllers are gonna shake things up. Now, devs can publish apps saying, “Yo, you might need controllers,” or just, “Nah, it’s just a nice extra.” Makes the App Store a bit like choosing your own adventure books, right?

So… hand-tracking. They launched with that. But surprise! Now the door’s wide open for those who dig motion controllers. Feels a bit like they did a 180. And let’s be real, a lot of folks in the VR scene have their games primarily built this way. Asking them to switch entirely to hand-tracking? That’s a big nope. Like asking a fish to climb a tree. Or a cat to swim — unless it’s one of those weird cats that likes water, then my analogy’s ruined.

Okay, developers get two modes to play with: Predicted and Continuous. First one’s like, trying to guess where your hand is headed next — which sounds either super smart or possibly creepy. Best for when you’re flailing your arms around in games. You know the ones, right?

And then there’s Continuous mode. Keeps things precise. I assume it’s for when you’re doing art stuff or trying to be all productivity-focused. Less guessing, more accuracy, but there’s a catch… latency might be a thing. Not great if you’re like, dodging stuff. Just saying.

No word yet on specifics like latency details, though. Seems Apple’s keeping that on the down-low, or maybe they don’t even know. Hey, every tech thing has its mysteries, I guess.

Wanna dive deeper into VisionOS 26? Well, there’s more out there. But for now, that’s the scoop.