Ready Player One fans call out similarities in Apple's virtual reality announcement

Apple's new product, the Apple Vision Pro, is being described as the start of a “new era of spatial computing” but the mixed reality headset has already drawn hilarious comparisons to Ready Player One.

The company's new product was announced by Apple at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where it was revealed the headset will bring the virtual reality to you.

Entering virtual reality is something often depicted in science-fiction books and films like Ready Player One, which was adapted by Steven Spielberg in 2018 from Ernest Cline's book of the same name.

Read more: Apple unveils long-awaited mixed reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, at WWDC 2023

In Ready Player One, the public escape the real world through the virtual reality simulation OASIS and the story follows lead character Wade Watts as enters the game to win ownership of the company by finding the Golden Easter egg before anyone else does.

Given the similarities to the headsets, there were several users on Twitter who felt compelled to compare the Apple Vision Pro announcement video with a scene from Ready Player One.

The video clips are strikingly similar, from the way the user is seen putting on their headset to the way in which the virtual reality comes to life around them.

Another Twitter user shared: "I'm still surprised at how Apple's Vision Pro design looks so similar to Spielberg's Ready Player One headset."

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One user said that they liked the similarities between the product and the design of the headset in Spielberg's film, writing: "Excited about Apple's new Vision Pro! It appears to draw inspiration from Ready Player One, bringing us closer to a captivating virtual reality experience. Thrilling times ahead for tech and VR enthusiasts!"

One person also shared a side-by-side image of the Ready Player One poster with a picture of someone using the Apple Vision Pro.

There was one user who joked about the forthcoming headset: "Apple’s engineers decided to take inspiration on Ready Player One and Black Mirror, and created Vision Pro. I’m not sure if the product’s terrifying or if I’m just influenced by dark sci-fi."

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Another person shared: "Apple Vision Pro is cool & weird at the same time. If someone is around, you can see them. Also, they can see your eyes if you're not fully immersed.

"We just stepped toward Minority Report and Ready Player One coming to life. Also, the memes will be glorious."

At £2,800 ($3,499) the Apple Vision Pro is not exactly affordable, but the idea of spatial computing is one that might have mainstream appeal. Even Mark Zuckerberg is entering the world of virtual reality with Meta's Quest 3 VR headset.

Watch: How performance capture brought the OASIS to life in 'Ready Player One'