HTC Vive Is Launching Its Own Quest 2 VR Competitor at CES - CNET

The Meta Quest 2 enjoyed a unsocial concern for the past fewer years arsenic one of the best standalone VR headsets you could bargain -- and, 1 of the lone ones. Competitors seem to beryllium coming now, and HTC's latest Vive headset being announced astatine Las Vegas' CES amusement successful January is different motion of what to expect successful 2023.

HTC's self-contained brace of VR goggles was teased to The Verge, and the instrumentality looks to travel a akin way to wherever the Pico 4, Meta's Quest Pro and upcoming Quest 3, and perchance Apple's expected headset are aiming. HTC started to play with compact user VR again with its phone-connected Vive Flow goggles, but this caller instrumentality looks to beryllium much almighty and besides person colour passthrough cameras that should alteration mixed reality.

The teased representation of the headset looks to beryllium much compact than headsets similar the Quest 2 (or adjacent the Pico 4), resembling a plan person to the Meta Quest Pro. It's apt to person "pancake" optics that tin compress the show area, thing the Quest Pro and Pico 4 some have.

HTC's planetary Head of Product Shen Ye confirmed to The Verge that the instrumentality volition person the benignant of six-degree full-motion controllers that the Vive Focus 3, Quest 2, Pico 4, and astir each modern VR headsets have. Fitness volition beryllium 1 of the uses HTC sees with the headset, akin to however the Quest 2 and Pico 4 work. HTC could experimentation with assemblage tracking, considering the institution has already deployed its ain Vive Trackers with PC-connected VR for years, and adjacent has its ain wrist-based tracking accessories. Eye tracking, however, looks similar it'll perchance not beryllium included (adding oculus tracking tends to bump up VR headset price). Ye confirmed a 2 hr artillery life, akin to existing headsets.

Chipmaker Qualcomm, whose processors powerfulness astir each mainstream VR and AR headset, person already indicated for years that a question of standalone devices would beryllium coming from a assortment of planetary partners. The large situation hasn't been hardware, it's been software, ecosystem, and price. HTC has to fig retired however to marque that hap amended than Meta, and successful a twelvemonth wherever Apple looks to beryllium looming with its ain instrumentality — and who knows who else. We'll cognize much successful Las Vegas erstwhile we head to CES this January.

CNET has reached retired to HTC for remark connected this breaking story.