Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality (MR) headset is due to release on 2 February in the US. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff.

Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset has faced criticism following the announcement it will be missing key third-party apps on launch, as the value of US augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) deals dropped last year.

The highly anticipated new hardware, which is going to retail at $3,499, opened for pre-orders today (19 January). The product is set to fully release on 2 February.

As pre-orders roll in today Apple will be eagerly waiting to see how much demand there is for the headset, which is considerably more expensive than others on the market.

The Vision Pro has faced some public criticism this week after the announcement that Netflix, YouTube and Spotify will not be launching apps in the system.

All three companies are not currently planning to launch an app for visionOS, the headset’s operating system.

Netflix and Youtube told users that they would be able to access their services via the browser in the headset.

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“YouTube users will be able to use YouTube in Safari on the Vision Pro at launch,” a YouTube spokesperson said.

The news comes as the value of VR and AR deals in the US plummeted in 2023, according to GlobalData’s deal database.

In 2023, the value of VR/AR deals in the US totalled $327m, a significant decrease from $573m in 2022.

VR/AR deals in the US peaked in 2019, totalling $904m.

The global VR market, worth nearly $5bn in 2020, will generate revenues of $51bn by 2030, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 27% over the ten-year period, according to GlobalData forecasts.