Skip to main content

Leak reveals how Apple VR headset’s hand tracking may work

Apple’s secret mixed-reality headset — dubbed Reality Pro — is due to launch imminently, but the way you’ll use the device is something of a mystery. Sure, rumors have pointed to some form of gesture control, but that’s a pretty vague description. Fortunately, we might now have a better idea of how it will work.

That’s because Apple has just been granted a patent outlining how you might be able to use a special ring to control objects while using the Reality Pro headset. The idea is that, with this ring on your finger, you’ll be able to perform various gestures that will let you open apps, scroll webpages, and more.

The patent explains that Apple is working on gestures specifically involving skin-to-skin contact. That might mean tapping the fingers of one hand onto the palm of another. Or it could mean pinching the fingers of one hand together. That could let the headset detect a wide range of movements and gestures.

Recommended Videos

Apple’s idea of using a ring to enable this gesture control system is interesting because we haven’t seen this sort of thing before. Other patents have covered things like using an Apple Pencil to draw in augmented reality, or popping thimble-like devices onto your fingertips to enable hand-tracking.

A small handful of leakers and analysts have hinted that the Reality Pro will use some form of gesture system, with journalist Mark Gurman suggesting you’ll be able to look at app icons on-screen and then pinch your fingers to open the app, for example. But few have suggested the ring device outlined in Apple’s patent.

Other secret ideas

A rendering of an Apple mixed-reality headset (Reality Pro) in a gold color seen from the front.
Apple headset render. Ahmed Chenni, Freelancer.com

This isn’t the first hand-tracking idea Apple has been toying with for its headset. We’ve previously seen an Apple patent that outlined how the headset could use two Apple Watches to enable its gesture controls (and this latest patent also explores that idea). But that seems a pretty clunky — not to mention expensive — way of going about things.

Using a ring would be a much more streamlined way of granting you the ability to use gesture controls, and wouldn’t require you to fork out hundreds of dollars for two expensive watches. As well as that, it would probably be less likely to get damaged in the process of using gesture controls than two bulky Apple Watches, so that’s another plus.

Since this is just a patent, it’s best to treat it with a degree of skepticism. In the end, Apple might just be exploring ideas and could use a totally different method for gesture control — if it includes it with the Reality Pro at all.

Ultimately, we only have a few weeks to find out how the Reality Pro’s gesture control system will work, as Apple is widely expected to launch the headset at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5. Until then, we’re left to read the patent tea leaves for clues.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
Apple is no longer working on smart glasses to rival Meta
Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses

It's been a rumor for some time now that Apple had a pair of AR glasses in development, but a new report from Mark Gurman says the company has cancelled the project. Apple has expressed a lot of interest in the AR/VR space, but its first attempt with the Vision Pro didn't make the splash the company expected. Its over-the-top price and more professionally-focused applications led to fewer sales and a lot of excess stock.

The goal was to create a competitor to the Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, but Gurman says the cancellation comes in the wake of an attempt to change and improve the design of the glasses. The first version of the glasses would link with an iPhone, but its limited power meant applications were limited — and the demands of the device also had an impact on phone battery life. Apple pivoted and focused on linking the glasses with a Mac instead, but that was met with poor evaluations. The development team reportedly dealt with frequently-changing goals, adding to the difficulty, until the project was cancelled.

Read more
Sony’s flip-up XR headset costs even more than an Apple Vision Pro
Sony's SRH-S1 held in a hand at CES 2025.

Sony is one of the biggest names in VR gaming with the popular PlayStation VR2. Now it’s launching a high-end XR headset with specifications that rival the Apple Vision Pro. To be clear, this isn’t the Sony XYN headset powered by Google's new Android XR, and it won’t connect to a PlayStation 5. It’s aimed at enterprise customers that design products, and it costs even more than the ultra-premium Vision Pro.

Priced at $4,750, the Sony SRH-S1 is a powerful system with integrated hardware and software, a flip-up visor, and unique controllers optimized for manipulating virtual 3D objects. Being able to lift the visor for face-to-face conversations is convenient. The halo strap design also removes all facial pressure. A ring on one finger lets you grasp items, and a 3D stylus that looks like something from a sci-fi movie allows precise adjustments.

Read more
Here’s how Apple may make the next Vision headset more affordable
A person wearing an Apple Vision Pro headset.

A new report suggests that Apple may be lining up its plans for the launch of its more budget-friendly Vision headset. As spotted by Wccftech, the report comes from analyst firm TrendForce, which indicates a move away from the high-end micro-OLED panels used in the Vision Pro.

The new options include glass-based OLED displays, as well as a different form of OLED known as LTPO backplane technology, which was first used on the Apple Watch Series 4 back in 2018. Since then, it's become a familiar display technology that's been applied broadly across the industry in smartphones and watches.

Read more