Belkin’s Vision Pro strap should just come with the headset

The Vision Pro VR headset is such an Apple product — meticulously designed and filled with unbelievable tech, however designed for use Apple’s means, whether or not you prefer it or not. For a lot of, meaning the headset is aggressively uncomfortable to put on as a result of its weight distribution. For the final a number of days, although, I’ve been testing an answer Apple now sells that’s so easy, so apparent, that I’m truly miffed at Apple for not together with one thing prefer it from the very starting: the Belkin Head Strap.

Belkin’s strap works in tandem with Apple’s Solo Knit Band. The Solo Knit Band wraps round your head with an elastic cushion, clamping the headset to your face however placing quite a lot of pressure in your neck. Belkin’s strap provides you extra help by distributing among the Imaginative and prescient Professional’s weight to the highest of your head.

Apple’s Twin Loop Band, which additionally comes with the Imaginative and prescient Professional, does this, too. However the Twin Loop Band is much more of a trouble to make use of and so much much less comfy to put on. You need to commute between the 2 straps to make changes, whereas it’s fast work to regulate Belkin’s strap, cease when it feels proper, after which shortly cinch the Solo Band by turning its dial.

The Twin Loop Band additionally lacks the comfortable cushioning of the Solo Band, and its skinny bands place extra stress the place the higher strap meets your head; it makes that spot on my head unpleasantly numb after about half-hour. Belkin’s strap provides you the most effective of each worlds — you get the soft strap from the Solo Band, with the higher weight distribution of the Twin Band.

Belkin’s strap feels nicely made. It’s smooth and versatile, and tightening it’s nearly as straightforward as adjusting the Solo Knit Band — it really works precisely just like the Apple Watch Sport Loop, utilizing a Velcro-like fastener to safe it to the tightness you need. The band can also be easy to connect. You disconnect the battery, eradicating the Solo Knit Band, and slide the clips on both finish of the top strap over the ideas of the speaker arms.

Utilizing the strap is undeniably higher than utilizing the Solo Knit Band alone or the Twin Loop Band when carrying the Imaginative and prescient Professional whereas sitting down or standing upright, significantly for longer stretches of time. I’m one of many freaks who can put on the headset and be moderately comfy for a very long time, so I can’t let you know I went from utilizing it for half-hour to 10 hours. However I can say my neck feels higher, and so does my face since I don’t must clamp it as tightly to maintain the headset in place. It additionally feels a bit extra steady whereas I’m doing one thing bodily like enjoying Synth Riders, one of many few good video games obtainable for the Imaginative and prescient Professional.

The one half I’m not a fan of is the $49.95 price ticket. It’s not simply that it’s costly — and it’s! — it’s that it prices that a lot to purchase one thing that Apple ought to’ve put within the field from day one. The corporate even appeared to have one within the works! Keep in mind that one man from the WWDC presentation who was carrying a prime strap (which seems to be so much like Spigen’s cheaper alternative) with the Solo Knit Band? What occurred to that?

The cynic in me says Apple didn’t embrace that prime strap as a result of it was simply too pleased with the Solo Knit Band — in photographs, the headset seems to be undeniably sleeker with out a prime strap, and the Twin Loop nonetheless provides a slimmed-down profile. Regardless of the case, now that Belkin’s Head Strap is right here, it’s clear how a lot this was wanted all alongside. Nonetheless, when you’ve already tried comparable choices like these from Spigen or Annapro and located them wanting, Belkin’s strap is nicely price a shot.