StagePlay VR App for Apple Vision Pro

Our client

Scene Partners is an entertainment venture builder behind StagePlay, a platform designed to bring live theater performances to virtual reality headsets. StagePlay enables audiences to experience live or recorded shows remotely with the feeling of being seated inside a real theater.

The StagePlay Apple Vision Pro app is the platform’s first release, debuting with a Blue Man Group performance and setting the foundation for future immersive theater productions.

The challenge

Scene Partners needed to launch a completely new virtual reality theater application on Apple Vision Pro to support StagePlay’s debut. The app needed to:

• Remain intuitive for first-time users
  The experience needed to be accessible to theater audiences unfamiliar with mixed-reality headsets, with minimal friction from launch to playback.
• Deliver authentic live-theater immersion
  The app needed to support ultra-high-resolution stereoscopic 3D video and spatial audio capable of reproducing the feeling of a premium theater seat.
• Translate theatrical intent into virtual reality
  The experience needed to preserve artistic direction, stage framing, lighting, sound design, and pacing within a virtual environment without breaking immersion.

How We Helped

A-CX assembled a cross-functional XR team and worked in close collaboration with Scene Partners’ production and creative lead throughout the project.

Immersive Experience Design

We designed a theater-first experience that feels familiar and distraction-free. From the main menu to playback, the interface was intentionally minimal, allowing users to focus on the performance rather than controls.

Once playback begins, users are placed in a virtual theater with a predefined viewing position, mirroring the experience of being seated in a real theater, while still allowing natural head movement.

Virtual Reality Development & Playback Architecture

The application was built natively for Apple Vision Pro, leveraging an immersive stereoscopic video pipeline capable of handling extremely high-resolution content. A-CX integrated the OpenImmersive library to support immersive media playback while extending it with custom logic tailored to StagePlay’s requirements.

Key development work included:

• High-quality stereoscopic video rendering optimized for Apple Vision Pro
• Integrating a theater model to be seamless with the recorded performance
• Support for streamed immersive content with future extensibility for additional shows

The architecture was designed to scale beyond a single production, allowing Scene Partners to add new performances without needing to rebuild the core application.

Performance Optimization

Immersive theater content places significant demands on hardware. A-CX conducted extensive profiling and optimization to ensure smooth playback and visual stability throughout the performance.

This included tuning video streaming, optimizing rendering paths, and leveraging Apple Vision Pro’s hardware decoding capabilities to eliminate dropped frames and latency, critical for maintaining immersion during a full-length theatrical show.

Creative Collaboration & Iteration

A defining aspect of the project was close collaboration with the creative team. Viewing angles, camera placement, and virtual perspective were refined iteratively based on direct feedback from directors and producers to ensure the experience matched the intent of the live performance.

To support this process, A-CX created development-time tools that allowed creative stakeholders to test different viewer positions, video alignment, and lighting setups directly inside the immersive environment. This enabled rapid experimentation and faster feedback without requiring repeated code changes.

The result was a tight creative–technical feedback loop that ensured technology consistently served the storytelling rather than competing with it.

Testing, Refinement, and Launch Support

Ahead of launch, A-CX conducted internal usability testing and supported a private beta with selected users. Feedback led to refinements, including improved comfort, a clearer visual hierarchy, and smoother playback transitions.

A-CX also managed the App Store submission process for visionOS, ensuring compliance and approval ahead of the fixed launch date. During the premiere showcase, our team provided live support to ensure a smooth debut.

Outcome

The StagePlay Apple Vision Pro app was launched successfully in December 2025, delivering an industry-first virtual reality theater experience.

Key Results

• On-time launch aligned with StagePlay’s inaugural Blue Man Group showcase
• High client satisfaction, with the experience meeting both creative and technical expectations
• Scalable technical foundation for future StagePlay productions and additional headset platforms

While broader market metrics are still emerging due to the app’s recent release, the core objective, delivering a complex, first-of-its-kind immersive application on schedule, was fully achieved.

Looking Ahead

The project established a strong foundation for StagePlay’s long-term vision of virtual theater. With a scalable architecture and proven immersive playback pipeline, Scene Partners is well-positioned to expand its catalog and reach new audiences.

For A-CX, the StagePlay Apple Vision Pro app demonstrates our ability to deliver cutting-edge XR products under real-world constraints, combining deep technical execution with close creative collaboration to bring ambitious ideas to life.