Unity developers can start building apps for the Apple Vision Pro

Unity developers can begin cobbling together apps for the Apple Vision Pro headset after the engine maker rolled out official support for the platform.

In a post on the Unity Blog, the company said developers can now leverage Unity's authoring workflows, robust XR tools, and cross-platform compatibility to create "immersive spatial experiences" for the Vision Pro.

The Vision Pro is due to launch on February 2 and will, in the words of Apple, usher in the era of spatial computing by seamlessly blending digital content with the physical world.

Support for visionOS is available to all Unity Pro, Enterprise, and Industry subscribers and lands after extensive beta testing.

"Thousands of developers around the world participated in our beta program, collaborating closely with our engineering teams and generously sharing knowledge to build a community primed for a new era of spatial computing," wrote Unity. "The program attracted a broad range of developers, many of whom are building spatial experiences for the first time."

Unity says those interested can use its visionOS tools to create three main types of spatial experiences: immersive mixed reality projects that run alongside other apps in the Shared Space, made possible by PolySpatial technology; ports of existing VR games or new fully immersive experiences; and content that runs in a 2D windows and can be resized and repositioned in the Shared Space.

The company also spotlighted key workflows and features such as Play to Device, which lets devs live-preview content on the visionOS simulator without leaving the Unity Editor, and a one-click solution that can be used to quickly adapt existing iOS-compatible apps for visionOS in the form of windowed software.

Unity chief product and technology officer Marc Whitten said the company is deeply invested in supporting visionOS. 

"We are incredibly excited to support developers as they innovate and create in this new era of spatial computing. That is why we are the first third-party platform to offer visionOS support,” said Whitten." Unity has been investing deeply in our engine and XR tools to ensure we are here for creators from day one of Apple Vision Pro availability."

You can find out more about creating for visionOS in Unity, including walkthroughs and starter guides, on the Unity Blog.