Apple's macOS update finally opens up VR, HTC Vive to Mac developers
With all the recent talk from Tim Cook about Apple's focus on augmented reality, it came as a bit of a surprise on Monday at WWDC when the company unveiled new support for virtual reality content creation.
Along with the new High Sierra version of the macOS, Apple introduced Metal 2, the company's advanced graphics technology that will support VR rendering and external GPUs (Apple's new 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro will support VR right out of the box).
And this wasn't a mere "hat tip" to VR at the event, Apple actually gave a full demonstration of VR creation using a Mac live on stage. Led by John Knoll of Industrial Light and Magic, we got to see an HTC Vive user dive into a demo of a Star Wars experience (the title wasn't identified, but it appears to be ILMxLab immersive content the team has been working on) that was developed using the Unreal engine.
Everything from TIE fighters to a lightsaber-wielding Darth Vader were all rendered in stunning 3D, which the Vive headset wearer was able to walk around and interact with.
Apple also revealed that Valve is optimizing its SteamVR platform for macOS and VR creation platforms Unity and the Unreal engine will also be optimized for the for the updated version of macOS.
The combination of support for the Vive headset and an external graphics card option means that VR development is about to get a broader, more Apple-user-friendly footprint.
However, the real story on Monday wasn't VR but AR with the release of ARKit for iOS 11. As Cook has repeatedly mentioned, the company's focus is on AR as the future, so this (somewhat late to the game) VR support isn't likely to move the needle in any significant way for VR insiders already developing for VR on PCs that are generally cheaper than most Macs.
Nevertheless, by showing off a top tier VR experience running on a Mac with an HTC Vive, with 360-degree video support coming to Final Cut Pro X later this year, Apple has at least made a compelling overture to developers who prefer Macs and have, until now, been largely closed off from the world of VR and 360 video development.
The macOS High Sierra update is available today as a developer beta with a public beta coming later this month and a standard release of the OS coming to all users this fall.
