Kick off for CES 2023! HTC returns to the forefront of the virtual reality scene with a new headset that is as ambitious in terms of technology as it is in terms of pricing.
The leaks had unfortunately spoiled the surprise a few weeks before the opening of the CES 2023. HTC, through its subsidiary Vive, will launch this year a new virtual reality headset particularly enticing. Provided, of course, that you can get out the €1,399 requested by the Taiwanese company! Owner’s turn.
Everything you need to know regarding the HTC Vive XR Elite
Might as well write it immediately: HTC comes to attack Meta and son Quest Pro with this new product. Very high-end, the HTC Vive XR Elite aims to be the most compact virtual reality headset on the market. more than the Picos 4, already a reference in the matter! We also note that the device does not have a strap on the top; the weight is simply distributed between the optical part at the front and the battery at the back.
The headset weighs 634 grams, and borrows part of its design from Vive Flow virtual reality glasses. It contains two Pancake-type lenses that deploy 4K definition at a maximum frequency of 90 Hz. More important: the field of vision extends to 110° (compared to 106° on the Meta Quest Pro).
This helmet obviously guarantees six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and has four external cameras for the tracking and the passthrough (in colour). The HTC Vive XR Elite does not require the use of controllers (the same as for the Vive Focus 3), since the hand tracking is fully supported.
« The most versatile helmet on the market »
HTC announces it: it has designed its headset to be the most versatile on the virtual reality market. Usable not only for video games, but also for fitness or metaverse exploration, the Vive XR Elite is powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chip – the same as the Meta Quest Pro. In addition to the configuration, 12 GB of RAM and a battery of unknown capacity, which according to the manufacturer would offer 2 hours of autonomy (recharge at 30 W).
The other advantage of the HTC solution is also its modularity. The helmet can in particular offload its battery to adopt “simple” branches of glasses. This can be useful in office use. For example while sitting at his desk or attending a meeting in the metaverse.
Later this year, HTC also plans to release a eye tracking. The brand wanted this optional feature in order to reduce initial costs but also to give users the choice to adopt this inherently rather invasive technology.
Moreover, HTC partly motivates the high price of its Vive XR Elite by its virtuous privacy policy. The manufacturer says it does not trade in the data retrieved through its headphones. A barely concealed tackle from the competition which, according to it, can afford to market devices under the 500€ mark thanks to the permanent tracking to which users are then subjected.
