The Imaginative and prescient Professional VR headset is such an Apple product — meticulously designed and filled with unimaginable tech, however designed for use Apple’s method, whether or not you prefer it or not. For a lot of, meaning the headset is aggressively uncomfortable to put on as a consequence 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 really 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 numerous pressure in your neck. Belkin’s strap offers you extra assist by distributing a number of 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 problem to make use of and lots much less snug to put on. You need to shuttle 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 strain the place the higher strap meets your head; it makes that spot on my head unpleasantly numb after about half-hour. Belkin’s strap offers you one of the best of each worlds — you get the comfortable strap from the Solo Band, with the higher weight distribution of the Twin Band.
Belkin’s strap feels properly made. It’s smooth and versatile, and tightening it’s virtually as simple 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 sporting the Imaginative and prescient Professional whereas sitting down or standing upright, notably for longer stretches of time. I’m one of many freaks who can put on the headset and be fairly snug 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 accessible 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 sporting a high strap (which seems to be lots like Spigen’s cheaper various) with the Solo Knit Band? What occurred to that?
The cynic in me says Apple didn’t embody that high strap as a result of it was simply too happy with the Solo Knit Band — in pictures, the headset seems to be undeniably sleeker with no high strap, and the Twin Loop nonetheless affords 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, in the event you’ve already tried related choices like these from Spigen or Annapro and located them wanting, Belkin’s strap is properly value a shot.
