The Apple VR headset could weigh less than an actual apple

Apple head-mounted display patent
(Image credit: Apple)

You may be aware, and you may even care, that Apple is working on a VR headset design. Why should we care? Well, according to a 'reliable analyst' talking to 9to5Mac (via KitGuru) the device may end up weighing just 5.2oz (150g).

Stream machine

(Image credit: Rode, Samson, Blue)

Best microphone for gaming: make sure you're heard
Best webcams: be seen while you get your stream on
Best capture cards: lessen the load with a dedicated card

Not only is that lighter than your average, grocery-store apple, it's heaps lighter than current VR and Mixed reality headsets on the market. It's even lighter than the iPhone 12—which weighs 5.8oz (164g). If these rumours are anything to go by, this headset could be the lightest, and potentially the highest resolution VR headset of all time.

The estimate comes from Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, in a research note shown to 9to5Mac, who explains that the device's miniscule weight is thanks to it's ultra-short focal length lenses.

Fresnel's hybrid, ultra-short focal length lenses will bring improved field of view to the world of Apple VR, and will be made of plastic instead of glass, to greatly improve their contribution to the devices weight. There's no word on durability yet, but the main caveat comes in the form of an inherent reduction in brightness caused by these new lenses. Kuo notes that this will be counteracted by the company's use of Micro-OLED displays. 

The headset it described by Kuo as having "sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands." Other features expected from this potentially sub-5oz mixed reality headset design include advanced eye tracking, intuitive operation methods, 15 built in camera modules and the possibility of the Micro-OLED displays clocking in at 8k each. 

That would be an incredible feat if the company can figure out how to viably pull it off, especially in that kind of weight-class. The heft of modern virtual reality headsets is a major burden for long term users. The Oculus Quest 2 is relatively light for a head-mounted display at around 500g, but is still uncomfortable with the original strap after a while. The Valve Index is far heavier, clocking in at around 800g, but the weight distribution and smart headband design helps there.

But if we're talking about a headset some 80 percent lighter than that it's going to be a far more comfortable fit than either of the best VR headsets the PC can offer.

Despite its size, the likelihood of all this Apple VR tech coming for less than $1,000 is low, and rumours place the release date for the lightweight VR headset somewhere in 2022, so there's a while to wait yet.

TOPICS
Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.

Read more
Pimax Dream Air VR headset on a grey background
This upcoming Micro-OLED VR headset has absolutely everything and weighs less than 200 grams but of course it costs nearly 4x the Quest 3
The best VR headsets from Meta on a grey background with the PC Gamer Recommends badge in the upper right corner.
Best VR headset in 2025: my top picks for stunning virtual reality experiences
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., wears Orion augmented reality (AR) glasses during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Meta Platforms Inc. debuted its first pair of augmented reality glasses, devices that show a combined view of the digital and physical worlds, a key step in Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's goal of one day offering a hands-free alternative to the smartphone.
Meta's Orion AR glasses still have no 'killer use case' but want devices to hang out on your face, on your wrist, and now in your pocket too
A Meta Quest 3S, alongside a Quest 3 and Quest 2, on a stack of PC Gamer magazine.
I'm still waiting for a high-end VR headset good enough to make me ditch my Quest 3
An image of a Meta Quest 3S VR headset and two hand controllers against a teal background and a white border
Be the Batman in your bedroom with this Meta Quest 3S deal, saving $50 on the 256 GB model
Latest in VR Hardware
Varjo Aero
Nvidia confirms 'open issue' with Varjo Aero VR headsets and RTX 50-series graphics cards after affected users ask for help
A "sensor-actuator–coupled gustatory interface chemically connecting virtual and real environments for remote tasting," or essentially a virtual reality tongue in an artificial mouth
Would you like to taste fish soup in VR? Me neither, but this electronic tongue does it anyway
Varjo Aero
Varjo Aero VR headsets seem to be not working on RTX 5090s, and its community is opting for strange solutions while waiting for an Nvidia driver release to fix it
A still from a YouTube video showing The Swedish Maker cutting a piece of wood with power tools while wearing a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
YouTuber The Swedish Maker wears a Meta Quest 3 VR headset for his entire woodworking project and miraculously emerges with all fingers intact
The HTC Vive XR Elite front three quarter angle
Google is bulk buying HTC Vive engineers to help Android XR become a platform that can rival Meta's VR/AR dominance
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses
An image of a golden first place award from Geoguessr
'We're actually getting GeoGuessr on Steam before GTA 6': the Google Street View puzzler arrives on Valve's platform this April
Napster client circa 1999
Former music-pirating platform Napster to be reborn rather ironically as a metaverse for musicians to connect with their fans after $207 million deal
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node