I tried Apple's futuristic Vision Pro and it's coming to UK Apple Stores next month

Apple's space-aged Vision Pro headset was first shown to the world 12 months ago and now, after an agonisingly long wait, it's finally coming to the UK. This so-called "Spatial Computing" device (Apple wants to avoid it being called a VR headset) promises to mix real and virtual worlds together making it more worthwhile to wear whilst being much less claustrophobic to have strapped to your face.

It's certainly one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets to come out of the US technology firm's Apple Park HQ in Cupertino and using it really is like nothing you'll have seen before.

Ahead of its launch on this side of the pond next month, I got a chance to try out the Vision Pro and the experience left me genuinely speechless. There's no doubt that it is a seriously impressive piece of tech that's surprisingly intuitive to use. Within seconds of wearing it, I managed to master the neat Minority Report-style hand gestures that control what was being shown on ultra-high-resolution screens which use micro-OLED technology to pack 23 million pixels into two displays, each the size of a postage stamp.

Clever eye tracking along with simple swipes and taps are all you need to whizz through menus, close windows or launch content and applications. It's far less hassle than finding physical controllers, linking them via Bluetooth and then realising they have run out of power right when you need them.

The moment you start wearing the Vision Pro you can’t help but be impressed especially as it lets you overlay apps, movies and even the display from your MacBook over your actual surroundings.

It all feels incredibly intuitive and you can even run familiar software such as Messages, Music, Mail and Safari side-by-side for multitasking or dot different windows around your entire room. 

To achieve this special effect, Apple has placed tiny cameras all over the headset which then beam live footage straight to the screens. At all times I could see everything going on around me and I never felt isolated or claustrophobic during the test - that's something that can't be said for some other headsets I've used in the past.

Thanks to a portable battery pack (which will keep the Pro powered for around two hours) I was even able to stand up and walk around without fear that I was going to bump into a coffee table, walk into a wall or knock someone over.

If you want to hide the real world, a quick spin of the Apple Watch-style Digital Crown gently makes your surroundings disappear so you can then enter a fully immersive zone.

At one point during my demo, I was placed at the top of Marvel's Stark Towers where I sat with the New York skyline surrounding me as I watched a clip from Avengers: Endgame.

Next, I was putting together a presentation on virtual screens and then transported to a virtual replica of the stage at the iconic Steve Jobs Theatre which sits deep underground at the Apple Park HQ.

Other demos included seeing 3D Spatial photos and videos which, when replayed, made me feel like I was actually back in the place where they were first filmed. Spatial videos and photos can be recorded on the latest iPhones or the Vision Pro itself and really do add a new dimension to your family albums,

Apple also showed me one of its mind-boggling "Immersive Videos" which are filmed in 3D 8K with a 180-degree field of view making it feel like you are watching a movie on screen that fully surrounds you.

All of this realism is boosted further thanks to Spatial Audio which is pumped into your ears via tiny speakers on either side of the headband. At no point was I asked to wear headphones - and I really didn't need them - as the audio is spectacularly good without any additional headgear.

I also played games including "What If...? An Immersive Story". This Marvel title takes you into an animated world where you need to interact with the action, blast lasers with your hands and help the other characters to move through the levels.

The App Store now features more than 2,000 apps designed for Apple Vision Pro and more than 1.5 million compatible iOS and iPadOS apps with that library only going to get bigger over time.

My demo lasted for around 30 minutes and I honestly didn't want it to stop. The intuitive user interface, mixed reality visuals, familiar suite of apps and magical sound make this a truly game-changing gadget.

Yes, when it launches in the UK next month, it will cost almost £3,500 and this is a first-gen device which means future versions are likely to be far slimmer, faster and last much longer than that two-hour battery pack can currently muster. It does look a little like a pair of ski goggles, it's pretty heavy and we didn't have it on long enough to find out how comfy all-day usage would be.

Unless you are an avid Apple follower or have money to burn this probably isn't going to be a device you are going to rush out and buy on launch day but it does offer a vision of how the future of computing could look and how going virtual could become far more mainstream.

If you get a chance to have a demo at one of Apple's Stores we'd highly recommend it as this device really does have to be seen to be believed.

It will go on sale in the UK from July 12. Apple has confirmed that customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom can pre-order Vision Pro beginning Friday, June 28.