Belkin’s Vision Pro strap should come with the headset

The Vision Pro VR headset is an Apple product – carefully designed and packed with amazing technology, but designed to be used the Apple way, whether you like it or not. For many, that means the headset is uncomfortable to wear due to its weight distribution. For the past few days, however, I’ve been testing a solution that Apple now sells that’s so simple, so obvious, that I’m annoyed Apple didn’t include something similar from the start: the Belkin Head Strap.

Belkin’s band works in tandem with Apple’s Solo Knit Band. The Solo Knit Band wraps around your head with an elastic pillow, tying the headset to your face but putting more pressure on your neck. The Belkin strap gives you extra 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, does this, too. But the Dual Loop Band is very difficult to use and not so comfortable to wear. You have to go back and forth between the two bands to make adjustments, and it’s quick work to adjust the Belkin band, stop when it feels right, and quickly press the Solo Band by turning its dial.

The Dual Loop Band also lacks the comfortable fit of the Solo Band, and its smaller straps put more pressure when the upper band meets your head; it makes that area of ​​my head uncomfortably numb after about 30 minutes. Belkin’s band gives you the best of both worlds — you get the lower band from the Solo Band, with the better weight distribution of the Dual Band.

Belkin’s belt 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 fastener to secure it to the desired tightness. The band is also easy to attach. You disconnect the battery, remove the Solo Knit Band, and slide the clips on either side of the headband over the tips of the speaker arms.

Using the band is arguably better than using the Solo Knit Band alone or the Dual Loop Band when wearing the Vision Pro while sitting or standing upright, especially for long periods of time. I’m one of those freaks who can put on a headset and be reasonably comfortable for long periods of time, so I can’t tell you that I’ve gotten out of using it for 30 to 10 minutes. But I can say that my neck feels better, and so does my face since I don’t have to hold it tightly to keep the headset in place. It also feels stable when I’m doing something physical like gaming Synth Riders, one of the few good games available for Vision Pro.

The only part I’m not a fan of is the $49.95 price tag. It’s not just that it’s expensive – and it is! – it costs so much money to buy something that Apple should have put in the box from day one. The company even appeared to have one in the works! Remember that one guy from the WWDC presentation who was wearing a top band (that looks like a cheap Spigen one) with the Solo Knit Band? What happened to that?

Cynic in me says that Apple didn’t include that top band because it was too proud of the Solo Knit Band – in the photos, the headset looks smooth without the top band, and the Dual Loop still offers a slim profile. Regardless, now that Belkin’s Head Strap is here, it’s clear how much was needed all along. Still, if you’ve already tried similar options like those from Spigen or Annapro and found them wanting, Belkin’s strap is worth a shot.