I tried Apple's 3,500 Vision Pro... and it let me attend an Alicia Keys recording session, walk a tightrope and pet a dinosaur without leaving a New York City store - but it wasn't worth 5 times the price of Meta's Oculus headset

I attended an Alicia Keys recording session, walked a tightrope and pet a dinosaur without leaving an Apple Store in New York City. The tech giant officially launched the new 3,500 Vision Pro in-store Friday and I was able to try out the headset this morning, along with dozens of others who waited patiently outside before the doors opened. But unlike the crowd, I was not expecting to enjoy the experience. I am somewhat of a Luddite and just could not imagine needing or wanting a mixed-reality headset - much less one that costs more than my month's rent in Brooklyn. However, each experience during the 20 minute demo felt shockingly intimate, vivid, and up close - I actually felt self-conscious about maybe having haphazardly stumbled my way into multiple dangerous or V.I.P. locations that I wasn't supposed to be in.