The Vision Pro VR headset is an Apple product: meticulously designed and packed with incredible technology, but designed to be used the Apple way, whether you like it or not. For many, that means the headphones are tremendously uncomfortable to wear due to their weight distribution. However, for the last few days I've been testing a solution that Apple now sells that is so simple, so obvious, that I'm actually upset with Apple for not including something similar from the beginning: the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HRYW2ZM/A/belkin-head-strap-for-apple-vision-pro?fnode=e28e9a4ba1e63701dced397364e40f96e7f9c3febe410cc85b9d6d72106f8823981215dc3be25309e361a409abe3fef869a20e42e1abed420776b87c0b3b93fad2ad3b61534a6c15f9b61f2ce7b9a92ca872058d31522ca5480a3a4bf33908cd”>Belkin Head Strap.
The Belkin band works in conjunction with Apple's Solo Knit Band. The Solo Knit Band wraps around your head with an elastic cushion, holding the headphones to your face but putting a lot of pressure on your neck. The Belkin strap gives you more support by distributing some of the Vision Pro's weight across the top of your head.
Apple's Dual Loop Band, which also comes with the Vision Pro, also does this. But the Dual Loop Band is much more complicated to use and much less comfortable to use. You have to go back and forth between the two straps to make adjustments, while it's quick work to adjust the Belkin strap, stopping when it feels right, and then quickly adjusting the Solo Band by turning its dial.
The Dual Loop Band also lacks the comfortable cushioning of the Solo Band, and its thin bands put more pressure where the top strap meets your head; It makes that area of my head unpleasantly numb after about 30 minutes. The Belkin strap gives you the best of both worlds: you get the comfortable Solo Band strap, with the better weight distribution of the Dual Band.
The Belkin strap feels well made. It's soft and flexible, and tightening it is almost as easy as adjusting the Solo Knit Band: it works exactly like the Apple Watch Sport Loop, using a Velcro-like closure to secure it at the tightness you want. The band is also easy to put on. Disconnect the battery, remove the Solo Knit Band, and slide the clips on each end of the head strap over the tips of the speaker arms.
Using the strap is undeniably better than using the Solo Knit Band alone or the Dual Loop Band when using the Vision Pro while sitting or standing, especially for longer periods of time. I'm one of those fans who can wear headphones and be reasonably comfortable for a long time, so I can't tell you that I went from wearing them for 30 minutes to 10 hours. But I can say that my neck feels better, as does my face, since I don't need to hold it as tightly to keep the headphones in place. It also feels a little more stable when I do something physical like playing games. synth riders, One of the few good games available for Vision Pro.
The only part I don't like is the $49.95 price tag. It's not just that it's expensive, and it is! — is that it costs so much to buy something that Apple should have put in the box from day one. The company even seemed to have one in the works! Remember that a guy at the WWDC presentation who was wearing a top strap (which looks a lot like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Padded-Designed-Vision-HeadStrap/dp/B0CNG5NJK8?tag=theverge02-20″>The cheapest Spigen alternative) with the band Solo Knit? What happened to that?
The cynic in me says Apple didn't include that top strap because it was too proud of the Solo Knit Band: In the photos, the earbuds look undeniably sleeker without a top strap, and the Dual Loop still offers a slimmer profile. Whatever the case, now that the Belkin head strap is here, it's clear how much it was needed all along. Still, if you have already tried similar options like those from Spigen or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Vision-Pro-Pressure-Reducing-Compatible-Accessories/dp/B0D2222WSW?tag=theverge02-20″>Annapro and found them lacking, the Belkin strap is worth a try.
