HTC’s Standalone Headset Is an Evolution for Virtual Reality
Virtual reality headsets are getting more powerful and expensive over the last decade. HTC’s Vive XR Elite is similar to Meta’s Quest Pro. It also asks the question, “Are we really ready for the rise in the $1000+ VR rigs?”
Preorders for the $1,099 headset are open through Thursday. This is a remarkable time frame for CES products. It will be available along with the PSVR2, which is also connected to Sony’s PlayStation 5. The XR Elite is about the same price as a PS5 or a PSVR 2 combined, although it’s less expensive than the Quest Pro. This is not a purchase you would make on impulse. The hardware shrinks the VR form to almost glasses-like goggles and has mixed-reality capabilities that may allow AR apps. It is designed to solve the problem of how the metaverse will be used for more than just simulation and exercise.
This challenge has been met by no other company. This Vive headset seems more than ever to be a stepping stone for future AR glasses.
“We can see how mixed reality will create new use cases. We are aware of the great virtual reality applications. In a conversation with me at CES, Dan O’Brien, HTC’s general manger of Vive, said that he also believes the AR side of virtual reality is great. O’Brien acknowledged that HTC attempted to create an AR device in 2015, but was unable to do so due to complications. O’Brien views 5G and cloud computing to be the next big step. To make an AR scale, you need a 5G network that is strong and reliable. You also need a cloud infrastructure in order to provide services to these types of wearables.
