Virtually everyone who’s tried the Vision Pro has mentioned one pain-point, its external battery pack. Designed to strap to your Vision Pro like an IV drip for your headset, this battery pack isn’t particularly elegantly designed. It’s a rather heavy metal cuboid that’s tethered to your headset, and the only way to elegantly store it while in use is to slide it into your pocket – leaving a sole wire that dangles from your head to your waist, coming in the way of your hand while you move around.
It’s almost like Apple WANTS you to know that they’re great at primary products but terrible at accessories, after various debacles surrounding the questionable designs of the Magic Mouse, the Air Power Mat, the Gen 1 Apple Pencil’s charging solution, and the carrying case for the AirPods Max. The Vision Pro’s battery pack is yet another example of Apple’s questionable approach to product functionality, but it seems like ZyberVR has a better fix. The Neck Power Bank, as its name suggests, straps two lithium-ion battery packs around your neck. Perfect for spatial computing, this power bank rests naturally along the curve of your neck, and connects to your AR/VR headset via a rather short cable. It’s an elegant solution to a rather simple problem, and even allows you to move around unencumbered.
Designer: Kylin Wu
The Neck Power Bank assumes the familiar horseshoe shape of a neck pillow, a pair of sporty earphones, or one of those neck-worn air conditioners. The power bank boasts a fresh and ergonomic design that sets it apart from the rest. Featuring a flexible center frame, it simplifies the process of unfolding and wearing it comfortably around your neck. Prioritizing ergonomic principles, it skillfully redistributes weight onto your shoulders, effectively relieving neck strain. The product seamlessly conforms to your shoulder’s natural curve, ensuring a secure fit during physical activities and minimizing unwanted shaking. This cutting-edge design departs from convention, effectively eliminating the discomfort often associated with prolonged use and offering users a more convenient, stable, and enjoyable charging experience.
With a robust overall capacity of 10,000mAh, the neck-worn device ensures a seamless 2-3 hours of XR device use, freeing users from battery anxiety. Additionally, the Neck Power Bank packs a removable 5000mAh backup battery that can be hot-swapped during use. Thanks to the quick-release switch, users can effortlessly swap out a depleted battery in a matter of seconds. The removed battery can be charged independently, guaranteeing uninterrupted power and catering to the demands of power users.
A USB-C port allows you to connect the power bank to a host of AR/VR headsets like Meta’s Quest series, Sony’s PlayStation VR, or even other devices like headphones or even your smartphone. ZyberVR even boasts compatibility with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset, although you’d need a proprietary connector cable that can attach to the Vision Pro (which launches February 2nd). That shouldn’t take time, as Apple would probably want third-party manufacturers to build out accessories to make the headset more lucrative. After all, if they want developers to start building a software ecosystem around the product… a hardware ecosystem would surely help contribute to the Vision Pro’s eventual success!
