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Jeri Ellsworth’s Tilt Five Offering a Lightweight, Low Cost Alternative to Apple Vision Pro’s Spatial Computing Vision


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When I last wrote about Tilt Five, an AR system first developed by Jeri Ellsworth while she was a developer at Valve over a decade ago, her startup was positioning itself as a fun peripheral for tabletop gaming.

But that was in 2019. Now, inevitably, Tilt five is also proposing to compete with Apple Vision Pro's "Spatial Computing" model. (See above — or if you're at GDC 2024, come by their booth).

Maybe I'm mad, but the Tilt Five experience immediately strikes me as a much more scalable vision for Spatial Computing. It's not purporting to be your new computing system like Vision Pro — and do you really want to wear one for nine hours a day? — but a lightweight, optional, lower cost device for when you actually need or want to interact with 3D content, especially in a work context. 

Emphasis on cost: Whereas a Vision Pro is $3500+, Tilt 5 devices start at… $359.

Tilt 5 Spatial Computing GDC

Here's some archive posts on the evolution of Tilt 5:

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2 responses to “Jeri Ellsworth’s Tilt Five Offering a Lightweight, Low Cost Alternative to Apple Vision Pro’s Spatial Computing Vision”

  1. Martin K. Avatar
    Martin K.

    Jeri Ellsworth’s Tilt Five Offering a Lightweight, Low Cost Alternative to Apple Vision Pro’s Spatial Computing Vision
    I guess part of Apple’s vision for Vision Pro is that it provides you with access to much of Apple’s ecosystem (including your media library, e-mails, browser data, iCloud data, subscriptions, passwords, etc.). Tilt Five cannot provide this access and it isn’t trying to; thus, I guess it isn’t an actual alternative.
    But I guess what you mean is that Tilt Five’s low price shows that a peripheral XR device (“parasite system” according to Jesse Schell) might be an attractive alternative to an integrated, stand-alone XR device (like Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest).
    While I (as an owner of a gaming PC) am sympathetic to that argument, the success of Meta Quest devices in the consumer market and the failure of cheaper peripheral VR/XR devices (e.g. Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, or Zappar’s Zapbox) is speaking of a different market reality. (And it isn’t the first time that a generation of peripheral “information appliances” has failed.)
    Emphasis on cost
    What about emphasis on value? Do you feel that Tilt Five glasses are valuable enough for you to buy them? Would you get and use them if they were available for free? (I’m asking because of https://palmerluckey.com/free-isnt-cheap-enough/ .)
    especially in a work context
    I think that observation is key: professional and educational applications live under very different constraints where Tilt Five might still have good chances of finding success.

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  2. Sahil Kumar Avatar
    Sahil Kumar

    Hmmm interesting read for sure

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