HTC introduced Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 VR headsets at Vivecon 2021
On the first day of the Vivecon 2021 event held on May 11-12, HTC introduced its highly anticipated virtual reality headsets. The main target audience of the event, where the HTC Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 models were announced, was corporate users. This situation caused a bit of disappointment for those like me who were expecting a VR headset to rival the Oculus Quest.
Bringing to light some services appealing to professionals alongside the virtual reality headsets, HTC will feature corporate users in the event that continues tomorrow within the scope of Vivecon.
To mention the striking features of Vive Focus 3, the first VR headset introduced at the event; it uses XR2, the newest platform produced by Snapdragon for the industry. It comes with a 90Hz LCD screen providing an image in 5K resolution, a replaceable battery, an ergonomic design, and WiFi 6. The virtual reality headset, which caters to professional use and will be sold for $1300 in the US, will hit the shelves on June 27th.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 2,448 x 2,448 (6.0MP) per eye, LCD (2x) |
| Refresh rate | 90Hz |
| Lenses | Dual-element Fresnel |
| Field of View (FoV) | 120° diagonal |
| Optical image adjustment | IPD |
| IPD distance | 57–72mm |
| Processor | Snapdragon XR2 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Connectivity | USB-C (2x) |
| Battery life | 2 hours |
| Tracking | Quadruple internal cameras (no external base stations required) |
| Controllers | Vive Focus 3 controllers, rechargeable battery |
| Audio | Headstrap integrated speakers, 3.5mm aux output |
| Pass-through Video | Yes |
Coming to the other model introduced today, the HTC Vive Pro 2; it was updated again for enterprises as a continuation of the first model released in 2018. Its SteamVR compatibility, 120 Hz refresh rate, and a screen offering 5K resolution are among the first details that stand out. Since the HTC Vive Pro 2 is a PC-tethered VR headset, the minimum system requirements to connect it to a computer require hardware such as an Intel® Core™ i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 1500 and NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480. The price of the full set of the headset, which will take its place on the shelves in July, is set at $1400 in the US. For the headset only, you need to pay $800.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 2,448 × 2,448 (6.0MP) per eye, LCD (2x) |
| Refresh rate | 90Hz, 120Hz |
| Lenses | Dual-element Fresnel |
| Field of View (FoV) | 120° diagonal |
| Optical image adjustment | IPD, eye-relief |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Tracking | SteamVR Tracking 1.0 or 2.0 (external base stations) |
| Controllers | Vive wand controllers, rechargeable battery |
| Audio | 3D audio, over-ear headphones, USB-C audio output |
| Pass-through Cameras | Yes |
Just like with the Pico Neo 3 introduced a few days ago, HTC has also focused on corporate users and entered the race to grab a share of the market in today’s world where remote work-based technologies are becoming increasingly widespread during the pandemic period. I think the reason companies ignore millions of end-users and pivot to the professional field is that the return on investments made in this area is easier. I will continue to watch what companies’ interests and the development of technology will evolve into.