Disney's First Marvel Experience for Apple Vision Pro Arrives May 30
A multiversal story is coming to Apple's mixed reality headset: here's the full trailer.
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Disney's Marvel experience for Vision Pro will use hand and eye tracking for interactive immersion: it's not a film.
Apple's Vision Pro, launched earlier this year, needs new stand-out immersive experiences to make its promises of mixed reality futures feel more present. Disney just announced one, developed by ILM Immersive and based on Marvel's Disney Plus show "What If…?" The hour-long free app arrives May 30, and Disney shows off how it looks in a new trailer.
According to Disney, the new experience will be a standalone app, and be an interactive, mixed reality-based dive into the multiverse. It won't just be a prerecorded video. "Now, fans have been chosen to step into the leading role of an all-new immersive story that transforms the space around them as they traverse across realities. Throughout their journey, they will come face-to-face with Multiversal variants of their favorite characters, learn the mystic arts, and be tasked with harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones."
"What If…? – An Immersive Story" was made with some of the creators of the What If series. Yes, you'll use eye and hand tracking to interact with it. The app looks like a game/story that places Marvel characters in your home but also opens portals to put you in VR-like moments. The graphics are cartoon-like, matching the spirit of the "What If...?" series. The in-game controls look like they'll involve Doctor Strange-like hand motions to invoke portals and attack/defend against enemies.
This isn't the first time Disney has dabbled in mixed reality and VR. An AR promotional experience based on Eternals was released for iOS in 2021, and ILM Immersive (formerly ILMxLab) made Vader Immortal and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge for VR headsets. Disney also explored partnerships with location-based VR entertainment group The Void for Star Wars and Marvel-based adventures in the past.
Is this new app also a stepping-stone for Disney to figure out new experiences in Apple's headset and others, too? Disney's been an early partner with Apple on Vision Pro, and this latest move suggests more might be in the works, too. Apple certainly needs a lot more innovative immersive apps like this one to make the Vision Pro's price and promises feel worthwhile.