Just like virtual reality experiences themselves, you can hardly turn your head in a single direction without seeing some sort of virtual reality headset or a VR-related offshoot at CES.
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Pre-orders for HTC’s upcoming VR headset “Vive” are to open on February 29, the company’s chief executive Cher Wang has told the Telegraph.
Additionally, the HTC Vive Pre was made available to developers as soon as it was showcased at CES 2016.
Given that the HTC Vive won’t be released until later this year, and no price has yet to be announced, it’s hard to gauge its full capabilities, and whether it will be the platform to beat.
“We believe virtual reality and augmented reality are the next mega tech themes through 2030”, said Munster. “Vive is creating a world where the only limit is human imagination”. The headset, while it doesn’t look too different, though there are a number of tweaks and additions including adjustable and removable eye guards, a new version of its controller, and the addition of a front-facing camera.
The refreshed design of the Vive headset has been refined to offer greater comfort to the wearer. On the inside, interchangeable foam inserts and nose gaskets mean the Vive Pre fits comfortably and securely to the user.
Beyond the camera and sensor technology, the Vive does about everything you’d expect a current-generation virtual reality headset to do. A newly developed front facing camera allows you to do more both inside and outside your Virtual world by blending physical elements into the virtual space.
According to Oculus, for a best performance for the Rift headset, you will need a computer that will feature the following specifications: an Intel i5-4590 processor, 8GB of RAM or more, a GTX 970 or AMD 290 graphics card. The new dual stage trigger makes interaction with objects smoother, and haptic feedback delivers vital feedback about your interactions with the virtual world.
The Vive base stations have also been redesigned to be more compact, quieter, and provide improved tracking. Their partnership with Under Armour finally bore fruit with the launch of the UA Health Box and their ongoing work with Valve is progressing nicely with the Vive Pre that we got to spend some time with.
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Working with Valve on the room-scale system, O’Brien says, the company “had to think about safety”.
