Pro Vision’s Global Development Hackathon, Vision Hack, Starts Next Month

Vision Hack is an upcoming remote hackathon for visionOS developers. Open to all skill levels, the event will take place September 13–15.

Guest article by Cosmo Scharf

Cosmo Scharf is an Emmy-nominated product designer and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in XR. He co-founded Vision Hack and visionOS Dev Partners to support visionOS developers. Scharf previously founded MovieBot, an AI-powered 3D animation app, and Mindshow, a VR platform for creating animated content. He also founded VRLA, one of the world’s largest exhibitions of immersive technologies.

Imagine building your first iPhone apps in 2008. That’s where we are today with visionOS. Vision Hack is your launchpad into the new frontier of spatial computing.

Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of watching the virtual reality industry evolve from a niche technology to a transformative medium. From the early days of clunky prototypes to the elegant, powerful devices we have today, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Now, with the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro, we stand on the threshold of a new era.

As one of the Vision Hack organizers, I am excited to announce the launch of the first global visionOS hackathon. The event, scheduled for September 13–15, marks a significant milestone in our industry. It is an opportunity to explore and shape the future of spatial computing as Apple Vision Pro continues its global rollout.

Vision Hack is designed to be a truly immersive experience. Teams are encouraged to communicate within the Vision Pro itself using spatial Personas, in addition to Discord. This approach not only showcases the capabilities of the device, but also gives participants an authentic, hands-on experience with visionOS development.

Our three-day program is aimed at both experienced spatial computing programmers and novices:

• Day 1: Workshops and Team Building
• Day 2: Intensive development with mentoring from industry experts
• Day 3: Development, Project Presentations and Awards

To foster collaboration while ensuring focused development, we’ve limited the team size to 5 people. Recognizing the global nature of our community, we host local meetups in different cities so developers can connect in person.

While we highly recommend access to Vision Pro to get the most out of the experience, it’s not a strict requirement for participation. However, developers will need a Mac with an Apple chip to run the visionOS simulator. This setup will allow for meaningful participation even without a physical device.

The organizing team has extensive experience gained at large VR fairs (VRLA), Metaverse hackathons and XR startups.

As spatial computing evolves, we believe early developer engagement is key to building a robust ecosystem. Vision Hack aims to play a key role in nurturing the visionOS developer community, potentially influencing the trajectory of spatial computing applications.

For developers looking to explore visionOS, Vision Hack offers a unique opportunity to dive into this new platform. The registration fee is $25, which helps us cover some of the event costs and keeps attendees engaged.

For companies interested in being at the forefront of spatial computing development, we offer a variety of sponsorship opportunities. These partnerships not only support the event, but also provide sponsors with direct access to a pool of talented developers working on cutting-edge spatial computing applications.

For more details, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities, visit visionoshackathon.com. We are excited about the innovative projects and ideas that will emerge from this event, and we can’t wait to welcome you to the next chapter in spatial computing.