HTC Announces New VR Headset: the Vive

Being Developed with Valve

By Andrew Dodson on March 1, 2015 at 11:39pm

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HTC made a surprise announcement. In collaboration with Valve, it is developing a VR-headset called the "Vive." Both companies are set on creating the most immersive virtual reality experience possible, and it's apparently almost ready. A developer kit is set to be ready this spring.

From the initial specs, HTC and Valve are well on their to creating the best virtual reality system.

With the Vive, the user gets a pair of 1200x1080 screens (one for each eye), with the ability to display 90 FPS. The Oculus Rift DK, by comparison, offers only a single 1080p screen and only support for 75 FPS. That is quite a jump.

Also in the headset, the Vive contains an accelerator, a laser position sensor and a gyrosensor which work together to accurately follow the user's head movements (with 1/10th of a degree). This accuracy, paired with the Steam VR base stations which track the user's physical movement in a space (up to 15ftx15ft area), promises to provide an unparalleled virtual reality experience.

For controllers, the Vive provides two controllers that fit into the user's hands. The controllers work with the system and the motion tracking base consoles to provide countless ways for the user to interact with the virtual environment.

We believe that virtual reality will totally transform the way that we interact with the world. Virtual reality will become a mainstream technology for the rest of the world.
Peter Chou, HTC CEO

HTC and Steam are set on having the Vive in consumer's hands by the end of the 2015. Obviously, this puts it in competition with the Oculus Rift which is also planning on a consumer release sometime this year.

HTC has hinted that more news about the Vive will be available at the Game Developers Conference, which is starting this week. Player Theory will keep you informed of all the details as we get them!