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Frosted Passthrough: Apple Vision pro

Hello everyone,


I hope you're all doing well. I'm reaching out to inquire about something I've noticed with my AppleVision Pro and to understand whether it's a designed feature or perhaps something off with my device.


The light seal on the device appears to be properly in place, and the spatial applications deliver crisp and clear visuals, which is fantastic. However, I'm experiencing some issues with the pass-through video clarity of my surroundings. Despite understanding that the central part of the display is optimized for faster rendering, the center doesn't seem as sharp as I would expect. I'm also aware of the significant role lighting conditions play in the quality of the visual output. Although my home lighting setup is quite bright and far from studio quality, I'm facing the same blurriness issue.


Could this be an inherent aspect of the device's current technology limitations, or should I consider troubleshooting or adjusting my setup? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Additionally, I wanted to mention that we're currently under a flood warning here in LA, which complicates my ability to visit a local Apple Store for a hands-on assessment. Despite this, I've managed to schedule a call with Apple's tech support for 8 PM. So far, my attempts to get clarity on this issue have been a bit challenging; I've been on hold for 1.5 hours, having spoken to two different representatives who seemed to have limited knowledge about display and visual performance. I'm nearing the point of postponing this effort until a later time. Hence, I'm turning to this forum for additional insights.


Observing people on YouTube effortlessly walking around and even riding on electric scooters with their devices, I can't help but notice the sharpness of their pass-through video. While I wouldn't necessarily endorse such activities, it leads me to believe that the video quality should be significantly better than what I'm currently experiencing. This discrepancy has led me to wonder if perhaps these individuals are using demo units, which might be equipped with different software or settings that enhance the visual quality. Any thoughts or insights on this observation would be greatly appreciated.

Apple Vision Pro

Posted on Feb 4, 2024 9:24 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 5, 2024 6:45 AM

L.Shaner wrote:

My pass-through view is not as clear as the rendered apps/content. Depending on the lighting the pass-through has somewhat of a "mirage" effect, like looking through undulating air above a hot desert, but just slightly so.

This perfectly captures what I've been experiencing, and I've noticed many others online sharing similar sentiments. It would have been appreciated if there had been some acknowledgment of this issue, so individuals wouldn't be left wondering if the problem was unique to their situation.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 5, 2024 6:45 AM in response to L.Shaner

L.Shaner wrote:

My pass-through view is not as clear as the rendered apps/content. Depending on the lighting the pass-through has somewhat of a "mirage" effect, like looking through undulating air above a hot desert, but just slightly so.

This perfectly captures what I've been experiencing, and I've noticed many others online sharing similar sentiments. It would have been appreciated if there had been some acknowledgment of this issue, so individuals wouldn't be left wondering if the problem was unique to their situation.

Jun 2, 2024 6:31 AM in response to Rick Schlueter1

Rick, I had a similar reaction at first and thought my Zeiss inserts may be the incorrect Rx. Apple advertising makes it seem like “pass-thorough” looks “like reality” (it obviously does not!). Part of my initial reaction was using the AVP in a poorly lit room. Here are a few comments that are similar to what others have said in this thread:

- Try it the brightest light conditions possible and see if it improves

- Clean the lens

- Consider taking it to the Apple Store and compare to a demo-model in the same lighting conditions for comparison


I have found the degraded clarity of pass-through is a non-issue for me (with my usage patterns). When using the AVP, I am nearly always sitting in a chair and am focusing on the virtual windows. The pass-through is mainly just for “awareness of my surroundings.” Taking spatial photos/video is one of the few exceptions for me, but I barely even notice the issue any more. Your usage pattern may be different than mine and the degraded clarity may be more of an issue.

Feb 5, 2024 4:34 AM in response to @tfraley

My experience with Apple Vision Pro is that in the lighting typical of my living room I can see the individuals in the room but that the pass through image is not as clear as I would see if I were using my iPad to shoot video in the same room and looking through the photo app viewfinder. I have assumed that this is by design given that the processor has to deal with the apps being rendered and to keep a very high frame rate while also keeping the device cool. This seemed to be to be consistent with what I have heard from reviewers such as Marques Brownlee and so I have not raised this issue with Apple.


[Edited by Moderator]

Feb 5, 2024 6:43 AM in response to @tfraley

After a considerable wait of 1 hour and 45 minutes, I finally managed to get through to a Vision tech on the phone.

The individual I spoke with was exceptionally cordial, and through some screensharing on the Vision Pro, he could understand the issues I was experiencing. However, after conducting further tests, it became apparent that the device's performance is heavily influenced by its intended design and the environment of the room. With this understanding, I've come to accept the current functionality as it is.

Feb 6, 2024 6:11 PM in response to @tfraley

Same problems along with reflection bloom that looks like fog along with green fringing at left and right edges of screens. Pass through and media viewing all have juttering issues, like the cameras can’t keep up with even the slowest head movement. Heading back to return the unit tomorrow. These do not look anything like the advertisements and commercials. So disappointed as the expectations were reasonable but high.

Feb 5, 2024 5:53 AM in response to @tfraley

Hello @tfraley!

This is quite a puzzling issue. I am not sure if this is a technical bug or not, so getting in touch with the Official Apple Support is definitely the right step. As of right now though, try, cleaning both the EyeSight Display and Display lenses. This may inprove the clarity a bit. Another idea I thought of is redoing eye and hand setup by quadruple clicking the top button. After eyes and hands setup, it adjusts the lighting to automatically adapts to the user's perception of the world based on their eyes. This may be the issue, but I'm not sure.

I'm sorry that you are experiencing these issues. I hope this helps!

Feb 5, 2024 6:19 AM in response to @tfraley

My pass-through view is not as clear as the rendered apps/content. Depending on the lighting the pass-through has somewhat of a "mirage" effect, like looking through undulating air above a hot desert, but just slightly so.


To be fair, my vision isn't 20/20, though not far from it. Mainly I have some astigmatism.

My prescription ZEISS optics haven't arrived yet, so that could very well be a factor, but since the rendered apps/content are perfectly crisp, I'll just have to wait and see after my optical inserts come.

I'll update this thread later this week.

Mar 7, 2024 5:28 AM in response to @tfraley

It's weird... Mine was perfect in the beginning. Crystal Clear walking around my apartment. But that all change a few days ago. Not sure what happened. but my pass though is just bad. Grainy and blurry. But Apps, Movies, Web Browsing are all crystal clear. I was actually bragging about how good it looks to some friends of mine at work. But that all changed and I am not sure how it just suddenly changed. I hope they fix this soon.

Frosted Passthrough: Apple Vision pro

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