HTC Vive, Vive 2 and Mobile VR Update: Tech Company Aims to Release a Device to Change the VR Experience
The Vive is going mobile and HTC promises a different and possibly unprecedented virtual reality (VR) experience before the year ends.
Already regarded by some as Vive 2, an upgraded follow-up to the Taiwanese tech company's high-end VR headset from last year, the upcoming mobile VR device aims to efficiently combine mobility with the VR experience without having to connect to a phone. This would make HTC's mobile VR device a more convenient choice over the Google Daydream View and Samsung VR, which needs to be paired with a smartphone handset to function.
"Vive is very top-end, and in the coming months you'll see our plans in terms of mobility and VR," Chia-lin Chang, president of HTC's global sales, said in an interview with CNET. "And it's not a phone slapped onto a headset. It'd be a different thing," he added.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The Vive system is currently a much pricier option and can only be used on an equally pricey and powerful PC. But if HTC were to compete against more affordable devices like the Gear VR and Google Daydream View, this future mobile VR device may just find a way to bridge the gap between quality and affordability.
The VR device will be designed to work perfectly with HTC's new flagship smartphone, the HTC U Ultra. AndroidPIT speculated that this device could turn out to be either an independent headset that will not need to be connected to a smartphone, or a completely new gadget that would allow wireless and direct communication between the device and a smartphone.
The publication has also expressed uncertainty over launching such a device without first addressing the problems at hand. If HTC is aiming for something different, it would be good if they could also find ways to resolve such problems as potential motion sickness from using a VR headset, and VR accessibility to people wearing glasses. More quality content should also be produced to attract more VR users.
HTC chairperson and CEO Cher Wang told CNET that they have learned a lot since the company entered the VR business.
"And we believe our focused approach to building the ecosystem is the right strategy to enable the whole industry to expand through the creation of compelling content and rich experiences," Wang added.
