This Mixed Reality F1 Concept Shows What the Apple Vision Pro Could Do For Sports

If you’re still wondering how exactly you’d use a $3,500 mixed reality headset made by Apple, you’re not alone.

In the grand scheme of mixed reality (XR) technology, everything (apps, hardware, use cases) is still pretty new, and as a result, developers are still figuring out exactly what they can do now that headsets like the Quest 3 or the Vision Pro are entering homes on a more mainstream basis.

One of those magical things? Sports. Really, really immersive sports.

F1 Fans Rejoice

It’s not hard to imagine how XR could change sports once you see it. This demo of an F1 companion app is a perfect example.

Even if this app (which is just a concept from designer John LePore) isn’t real, it gives a glimmer of what XR brings to the table (literally). In addition to your regular watching experience, you could theoretically get 3D data about where cars are on the track or how many laps are left, and then slap that 3D map right on your coffee table.

It’s a much more involved experience to be sure, but if you’re a superfan, it’s potentially worth the added barrier of wearing a headset. Plus, if it’s the Vision Pro we’re talking about here, big, bright, high-def virtual screens are kind of the name of the game.

Sure, you can do more than just watch things in a Vision Pro, but in my experience of using XR headsets over the past six months (mostly the Quest 3), I’ve found that those big, virtual screen experiences — while maybe not the most exciting on paper — are actually among the most compelling.

And for Apple, the pieces to the puzzle are already there. Imagine tuning into Apple TV+ for live sports and getting the option to watch your next MLB game in 3D or with a 3D scoreboard for stat tracking.

For sports, Apple is offering the perfect combination — the missing link between content and hardware that can actually give you the high-res experience we’ve come to expect from watching TV and live sports.

When Will We Get an F1 App?

Let me be clear: None of this is guaranteed. LePore’s concept is still just that — a concept. That being said, I’ve made a few educated guesses before that have now come to pass (looking at you chatbot-created NPC dialogue) and all of the links are there for immersive 3D sports to actually become something you’d want to watch.

And watching things is going to be a critical part of selling the Vision Pro. Apple is already spending a pretty penny bringing live sports to its streaming service and on developing XR (sorry, ahem, spatial computing) hardware, so who else is better poised to bring next-gen immersion to sports like F1?

My guess is this won’t be conjecture for long, so buckle up, because things are about to get big, bright, and a lot more 3D.