Apple announced at WWDC 2017 that they are coming up with Virtual Reality on Macs. And before we get into the details of what it’s like, we’d say it’s gorgeous.
The demo that was showcased actually showed how powerful the new MacBook Pro from Apple is going to be when used with the first ever external graphics processor from Apple. The massive Thunderbolt 3 GPU chassis from Sonnet was placed right next to 15-inch MacBook Pro at the demo station as it connected and powered AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card.
There is support offered for external GPU that offers great VR-capable graphics across all the Macs with Thunderbolt 3, including MacBook Pro. Though not quite portable, but they are the real powerhouses designed specifically for crushing and processing massive amounts of pixels needed by the VR setup. So, soon the mac users will be able to enjoy VR experience similar to Bridge Crew from Star Trek with the help of appropriate hardware.
During the presentation, John Knoll from ILM got to the stage for showcasing creating Star Wars scene right inside the VR environment. There were some handy developer tools that could be used for creating those virtual worlds like Final Cut Pro X that is expected to receive an update this year to offer full-featured VR video editing.
With that being said, it’s still early stages for VR, and particularly for Mac you can’t expect an average user to go out there and toss $400-$1200 on eGPU and Vive for playing SteamVR games or developing with Unity engine. However, we’ve taken that first necessary step to enter the VR world and tools that are on offer from Apple offer a great smooth experience. You will really like the tools once they are released later in the year. Really looking forward to it!