htc vive
HTC Vive Shows Off Portable 5G Device With RC Cars
Set up a private 5G network for multiple VR headsets in under 30 minutes using the Reign Core.
Today marks the final day of MWC 2022 in Barcelona and so far we’ve been treated to a variety of incredible announcements showcasing the future of connectivity. Day four of the event included informative talks featuring speakers from companies such as Amazon Web Services, Weta Digital, and Nolia as well as a plethora of incredible demos from a large list of exhibitors.
One demo from HTC had attendees driving a small remote-controlled car fitted with cameras and 5G connections around a tiny racetrack using a portable 5G base station called a Reign Core.
Those lucky enough to experience the demo had two different views of their carthanks to a couple of hi-res video feeds (POV and top-down) that were delivered using a 5G network from the Reign Core. As the drivers steered their cars throughout the course, spectators were able to watch the action in a first-person POV using HTC Vive Flow headsets.
It should be noted that the same 5G network that was used to provide attendees and spectators the camera views of the remote-controlled car through the Vive Flows also streamed PCVR quality demos to multiple Vive Focus 3 all-in-one headsets.
It doesn’t sound like much, the demo puts into perspective the evolution of XR technology, with HTC’s portable 5G device playing an essential role in powering XR experiences in the very near future.
The Reign Core is about the size of a PC tower and can be easily transported to different locations using something such as a Pelican case. It also works with Open RAN, making it capable of running on most private networks using virtually any type of hardware.
Because of its compact all-in-one approach, the Reign Core is perfect for location-based VR experiences as well as Enterprise XR use.
Created in partnership with Supermicro using designs owned by HTC, the Reign Core falls under a new business unit between the two companies called G Reigns, which is focused on giving clients the ability to easily set up and launch a 5G network in about 30 minutes or less.
On top of this new hardware and partnership announcement during MWC, HTC also gave us a preview of what their Viveverse ecosystem looks like and how they plan on using it to expand the in-car VR entertainment industry.
In an official press release, Cher Wang, co-founder and chairwoman at HTC, talked about the importance of having the ability to stay connected and how it would impact Viveverse, the company’s recently-announced open-source metaverse, saying:
“VIVERSE is the next chapter of our VIVE Reality vision. VIVE is our brand and means ‘life’, and Verse refers to the chapters of life. Viveverse provides seamless experiences, reachable on any device, anywhere, and is enabled by the virtual and augmented reality, high-speed connectivity, AI, and blockchain technologies that HTC has invested in for several years. We invite partners to join us on this fantastic journey to the internet of presence.”
Earlier in the month Motorola and Lenovo debuted their portable 5G Neckband designed to give you reliable access to the metaverse anytime and anywhere.
Feature Image Credit: HTC
HTC Vive Unveils new Hardware Solutions at CES 2022, Including a Wrist Tracker & Charging Case
HTC Vive had quite the 2021 releasing not one or two but three virtual reality (VR) headsets, the Vive Pro 2, Vive Focus 3 and Vive Flow. As part of CES 2022 today, the company has just unveiled a bunch of accessories specifically for the standalone Vive Focus 3, a wrist tracker, charging case and multi-battery charger.
The Vive Focus 3 is HTC Vive’s all-in-one (AIO) solution for businesses, whether that’s companies looking to conduct training sessions and meetings in VR, or location-based entertainment (LBE) venues after the latest cord-free technology. And it’s the latter that could benefit the most from these latest gadgets. The Vive Wrist Tracker provides a tracking solution specifically for the headset, 85% smaller and 50% lighter (63g) than the Vive Focus 3 controllers.
Worn either on the wrist or attached to objects so they can be tracked in VR, the Vive Wrist Tracker has LEDs that are picked up by the headset tracking cameras. Whilst the Wrist Tracker can aid hand tracking, HTC Vive says it can also improve tracking from your fingertips to your elbow, even when out of sight of the cameras. It does this by: “using high-frequency IMU data and an advanced kinematic model,” predicting a users hand position.
Offering four hours of continual use out of a single charge (charged via a USB-C connection), the Vive Wrist Tracker has a one-button pairing feature to the Vive Focus 3 as well as a removable strap for cleaning. It’ll arrive early in 2022 for US customers first, priced at $129 USD, €129 EUR, £119 GBP. HTC Vive has confirmed it’ll release the CAD files so that owners can build their own docking solutions for attaching the tracker to guns, sports equipment or other objects.
Then there’s the Vive Focus 3 Charging Case, ideal for when you want to take the headset out and about whilst keeping it fully charged. With an outer splash-proof rigid shell design, the charging case features lockable zips for security and an in-built storage area for chargers and cables. As for that charging capability, the original Vive Focus 3 charger plugs into the corner of the case to juice up the headset and both controllers.
There’s an additional feature that businesses and other organisations may find useful if they have multiple devices, auto-pairing. When placing the headset and controllers inside the case, all devices will pair instantly, ensuring no awkward mismatching of components if sets get muddled together.
Finally, there’s the Multi Battery Charger. The Vive Focus 3 features the ability to hot-swap batteries for continual use but in a busy setting like a classroom, operators will need to continually charge batteries. The Vive Focus 3 Multi Battery Charger can charge up to four batteries at once, all at full speed with LED indicators showing the charge status.
Currently, HTC Vive hasn’t said when the Charging Case or Multi Battery Charger will be available or how much they’ll cost. When those details are available VRFocus will let you know.
HTC Announces Wrist Tracker for Vive Focus 3, Releasing in Early 2022 for $129
HTC unveiled a new VR tracker device at CES 2022 today, this time targeting its $1,300 enterprise-focused standalone headset, Vive Focus 3. It’s slated to go on sale sometime early this year, starting at $129.
Unlike its SteamVR-compatible Vive Tracker, the new Vive Wrist Tracker is a wrist-worn device which hooks into Vive Focus 3’s inside-out tracking system. It does this essentially the same way the headset’s controllers are tracked in room-scale space, i.e. through infrared LEDs that are tracked optically through the headset’s onboard camera sensors.
HTC says in the announcement that the tracker allows users to either strap it to their wrist for what the company calls “advanced hand tracking” in addition to using controllers, or to objects like gun controllers, Ping-Pong paddles, or tools.
Below you can see a Nerf gun has been rigged up with Vive Wrist Tracker, making for a 6DOF-tracked virtual weapon:
The company says Vive Wrist Tracker is 85% smaller than Vive Focus 3’s controller, and 50% lighter at 63g. It boasts up to four hours of constant use, charged via USB-C. HTC says it includes a simple one-button pairing feature for wireless connection, and also features a removable strap for easy cleaning.
As for its more accurate hand tracking, this is what the company says in Vive Wrist Tracker’s announcement:
“When user wears the tracker on the wrist, we can predict the tracker’s motion trajectories even when the tracker is out of camera’s view in a while by using high-frequency IMU data and an advanced kinematic model. With this technology, we can predict their hand position when the hands leave the tracking camera view.”
Road to VR skipped the physical bit of CES 2022 this year, however we’re very interested to see the wrist tracker in action to see if it makes a material difference in terms of hand tracking.
Likely its biggest appeal is the ability to track objects, giving location-based entertainment venues and enterprise users the ability to avoid the typical mixing and matching of hardware ecosystems, such as OptiTrack or SteamVR base stations. To boot, HTC says its releasing CAD files so prospective owners can build custom docking solutions or harnesses around the tracker.
HTC is initially launching Vive Wrist Tracker in the US starting early 2022, priced at $129/€129/£119. Although they haven’t said as much, that pricing means it will very likely roll out Vive Wrist Tracker to the UK and EU at a later date.
In addition to Vive Wrist Tracker, HTC unveiled a few other Vive Focus 3 accessories, including a new charging travel case and a multi-battery charging dock. It’s not clear when either of those will go on sale, or for what price. We’ll be keeping an eye on the Vive accessories product page in the meantime.
HTC Holiday Sale Discounts up to $300 off Vive PC VR Headsets & Accessories
HTC is doing a week-long holiday sale starting today that is bringing deep discounts to many of its PC VR headsets, as well as accessories such as the Vive Wireless Adapter and Deluxe Audio Strap.
The promo is in effect starting today, and goes until December 19th (or until supplies sell out).
We’ve listed prices in US dollars below, however you’ll find similar savings across both EU and UK regional sites. Here’s the full list of VR hardware currently on sale:
VIVE Cosmos Elite Kit — $650 (reg. $900)
- 1,440 x 1,700 pixels per eye LCD at 90Hz
- SteamVR 1.0 Base Stations
- Vive wand controllers
- Elite SteamVR faceplate
- Built-in headphones
- PC Required
VIVE Cosmos Elite Headset — $400 (reg. $550)
- all of the above minus SteamVR Base Stations and controllers
VIVE Pro Full Kit — $900 (reg. $1,200)
- 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per eye AMOLED at 90Hz
- SteamVR 2.0 Base Stations
- Vive wand controllers
- Built-in headphones
- PC Required
VIVE Pro Eye Full Kit — $1,100 (reg. $1,400)
- 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per eye AMOLED at 90Hz
- Built-in Tobii eye tracking
- SteamVR 2.0 Base Stations
- Vive wand controllers
- Built-in headphones
- PC Required
VIVE Pro Eye Office Headset — $800 (reg. $1,000)
- all of the above minus SteamVR base stations and controllers
VIVE Wireless Adapter — $200 (reg. $350)
- Supports Vive Pro and Cosmos series
- Supports up to 2,448 x 1,224 resolution and 90Hz refresh rate when used with VIVE Pro 2
- Wireless Adapter for VIVE Cosmos Series & VIVE Pro 2 only work with the 21-Watt battery included in the kit
- Requires PC with available PCIe slot
VIVE Deluxe Audio Strap — $70 (reg. $100)
- Brings headphones and greater long-term comfort
- Natively compatible with original 2016-era HTC Vive
We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more savings in the coming days, as the usual rush of hardware and software discounts tend to arrive around this time frame, often seeing repeats of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Check back for more deals and discounts!
HTC Vive Is Opening Its Own NFT Store
All aboard the NFT hype train.
NFT trading volume had a massive surge in the third quarter of 2021 with over $10.7 billion worth of digital assets sold, as reported by DappRadar. That’s an incredible 704% increase from the previous quarter. According to CNBC, this growth is the direct result of investors’ growing belief in tech and that owning an NFT offers some form of social status within the crypto world.
Last week, HTC Vive announced that it will be jumping into the NFT market by expanding its VIVERSE to include a unique NFT store designed specifically for arts and culture. This platform will hopefully develop into a virtual ecosystem where you can host, sell, and buy digital artwork as a creator and/or collector.
The inaugural sale of HTC Vive’s NFT store will begin on December 17th and will feature beautifully created NFTs from the world-renowned Czech artists Alphonse Mucha as part of an incredible partnership to commemorate the Mucha Foundations launch of its “Mucha to Manga – The Magic of the Line” exhibition opening in Taipei.
Collectors will be able to view new NFTs based on Mucha’s work throughout the duration of the exhibition. The virtual store will conclude with a special auction in April 2022.
The store—accessible through the Vive Arts website—will allow you to buy or sell various types of digital art, whether it be in 2D, VR, AR, or XR. As a creator, you will have complete control over your NFT and will be able to sell in traditional government-backed currency (the dollar for example) as well as various cryptocurrencies. You also have total control over the volume of art you are selling.
In an official statement from HTC, Cher Wang, Co-founder and Chairwoman of HTC said, “Our new global art trading platform heralds the next building block in VIVE Arts’ development of holistic arts and culture ecosystem, to enhance the rich, growing world of digital art,” adding, “This platform enables VIVE Arts to enhance our support for artists and institutions, opening up new opportunities for digital creativity, innovation, and connection using blockchain technology.”
For HTC, VIVERSE is an opportunity to break down the walls that separate the physical and virtual worlds by using immersion as the focal point. Celina Yeh, Executive Director for Vive Arts, said she was “thrilled” to be able to partner with the Mucha Foundation for its initial sales, using the “beloved artworks by Alphonse Mucha as NFTs,” as a way to bring both the real and virtual worlds together.
If you’re not familiar with Alphonse Mucha, he is best known for his hyper-detailed art that looks almost like stylized theater posters. Much of his work includes illustrations, advertisements, and designs featuring French stage actress, Sarah Bernhardt.
To know more about HTC and its VR and AR products, click here. To enter HTC’s VIVERSE and Vive Arts, head on over to Viveport.
Feature Image Credit: HTC Vive
HTC is Getting into the NFT Craze with the Opening of Its Own Store Soon
HTC is opening a non-fungible token (NFT) store soon that its says will host all forms of digital art, including AR, VR, and XR pieces.
The store, which will open on December 17th, is set to first offer NFTs featuring the works of Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939), which is being offered as a part of a collaboration with the Mucha Foundation.
The NFT sale will coincide with the opening of the ‘Mucha to Manga – The Magic of the Line’ exhibition in Taipei.
Here’s a video in Chinese about the show displaying some of Mucha’s iconic art.
The store is said to offer complete control over the number of NFT editions and the format of the sale, with both fiat and crypto currencies accepted as payment.
HTC says a new NFT series will come to the store each month until April 2022, which will conclude with what it describes as “a special auction.”
For those of us in the VR space, all of this may seem a bit out of left field for the company, which over the years has built itself a significant niche in creating enterprise VR hardware. HTC is no stranger to jumping on the crypto bandwagon though. In 2019 the company released Exodus 1, a blockchain-focused smartphone that acts as a hardware wallet for storing cryptocurrency among other things.
How NFTs fit into all of that, well, there’s no telling how deep of a commitment the store actually represents. The company’s VIVE Arts initiative has been involved in bringing art-themed content to Viveport, but moreover it bringing VR to cultural institutions in limited-time exhibitions at the Tate Modern, London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Washington D.C.’s Newseum, and St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum since its founding in 2017.
Granted, NFT auctions are a far cry from bringing art to the masses—they primarily function as crypto-investment vehicles—although the earning potential for both the creators and buyers can’t be overstated.
The storied Christie’s auction house oversaw the sale of one NFT for $69 million back in March, something many NFT creators have hoped to replicate. Whether HTC makes those sort of headlines isn’t certain. At least Alphonse Mucha didn’t exclusively paint bored apes.
HTC Improves Hand Tracking On The VIVE Focus 3
A new firmware update introduces six predefined hand gestures and opens up quality-of-life opportunities.
The HTC VIVE Focus 3 is an impressive VR headset with its dual 2.88” LCD panels, Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor, magnetic gasket, and easy-to-access swappable battery.
One of the VIVE Focus 3’s most exciting features is the AI-powered hand-tracking. Thanks to a recent firmware update, the hand-tracking experience has been improved even further, offering better stability, performance, and accuracy while in VR. The headset tracks your hands in real-time using a 26-point skeletal hand modeling system; even super-fast hand movements can be tracked with a high level of accuracy.
Along with improved stability and performance, developers can now easily integrate six predefined hand gestures into their experiences. “Point”, “Fist”, “Ok”, “Like”, “Five” (all fingers straight), and “Victory”, with the possibility of more gestures being included in the near future.
These gestures can be used in a variety of VR experiences. Because the hand tracking engine is OpenXR compliant and highly resource-efficient, it opens up more hand movement possibilities for developers.
The first thing you’ll notice after upgrading is that your hands feel more natural and reliable in VR. Thanks to the aforementioned hand modeling system, you’re able to wiggle and snap your fingers as you would in real life, whether you’re grabbing a virtual object or pushing a virtual button.
To get started all you need to do is set aside your Focus 3 controllers and hold your hands up in front of you while in VR. The outside sensors will automatically locate your hands and begin tracking your movements and gestures.
There are still some limitations you should be aware of when using hand tracking on the VIVE Focus 3. You’ll want to avoid complicated backgrounds as well as low or unbalanced lighting conditions in the camera frame. You’ll also want to make sure to roll up your sleeves and ensure your wrists are visible to the four onboard cameras and avoid any awkward side views.
Another thing to keep in mind is that hand tracking quality will depend heavily on the platform, VR headset, and mode. For example, more complicated experiences may result in less reliable hand tracking.
The improved hand tracking experience will allow you to navigate VR environments in a way that feels much more intuitive, and will be a big step in making VR more accessible for users as they explore the possibilities of the metaverse. It also opens up quality-of-life opportunities to explore VR for people dealing with physical disabilities that prevent them from interacting with VR in a more conventional manner.
For more information on HTC VIVE’s hand tracking engine, hop on over to the HTC developers hub.
Feature Image Credit: HTC
Vive Focus 3’s Latest Update Improves Hand Tracking Feature
HTC Vive launched its latest all-in-one (AIO) virtual reality (VR) headset, the Vive Focus 3, back in June, and since then has been introducing new features whilst improving others. The latest update enhances the hand tracking capabilities of the device, making it more accurate and stable in the process.
Vive Focus 3 comes with its own controllers as standard with the hand tracking only introduced after the official launch. In this week’s free firmware update (v3.0.999.284), users should find that hand tracking now feels more natural, keeping up with quick movements while actions like pinching are more accurate when interacting with virtual objects.
HTC Vive’s hand tracking engine uses a 26-point skeletal hand modelling system to track all your individual finger movements, now used right from the room setup process thanks to the update. You can simply pop the controllers down and the Vive Focus 3 will automatically detect your hands.
Developers working on Vive Focus 3 compatible projects are able to integrate six predefined hand gestures for easy accessibility, ideal considering the headset is aimed towards the enterprise end of the market. This sector tends to lean towards training and development uses cases as well as design, all of which can benefit from hand tracking.
Retailing for £1,272 GBP, the Vive Focus 3 is based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform – like so many AIO headsets – sporting dual 2.5K displays (2448 x 2448 pixels per eye), a 90Hz refresh rate, a 120-degree field of view (FoV), adjustable IPD range from 57mm to 72mm and a rear-mounted battery for even weight distribution.
It’s been quite the hardware year for HTC Vive. Alongside the Vive Focus 3, there’s the new Vive Pro 2 for PC VR gaming and then there the Vive Flow. A slightly different tangent to Vive’s other offerings, the Flow is a smartphone connectable device that’s lightweight and for media consumption, with a strong focus on mental health.
As HTC Vive continues to improve its hardware lineup, VRFocus will keep you updated.
HTC Vive Black Friday Deals Include £250 off Vive Cosmos Elite Kit
As is now becoming commonplace, Black Friday isn’t a single day of amazing deals, expanding to a whole weekend and now several weeks. Today, HTC Vive has announced its latest raft of deals, where customers could save up to £250 GBP on the latest virtual reality (VR) hardware.
A the top of the pile for discounts is the Vive Cosmos Elite Full Kit with HTC Vive knocking a whopping £250 off the entire kit. Normally £899, the deal drops the cost down to £649.00, a great all-in-one bundle for those with a VR-capable PC. The kit comes with SteamVR 1.0 base stations and the latest Vive controllers. Specification wise it offers a combined resolution of 2880×1770 (1440×1700 per eye) using an LCD display, 110-degree field of view (FoV), a hinged front to easily drop in and out of VR, built-in headphones and IPD adjustment.
If you’ve already got a SteamVR setup and want to upgrade then the Vive Cosmos Elite headset has £150 off, dropping the price to £399. Or in the same range, the original Vive Cosmos with its inside-out tracking is available with a £200 saving, costing a competitive £499.
HTC Vive isn’t stopping there. Going into its pro range the Vive Pro Full Kit is on sale for £919.00, saving customers £200 on the regular retail price. If you really want to step up further there’s always the Vive Pro Eye with its in-built eye tracking. That’s currently £1,099.00, a reduction of £200.
It’s not just VR headsets HTC Vive is discounting, the Wireless Adaptor Full Pack and Vive Deluxe Audio Strap prices have also been slashed. The Wireless Adaptor is now £209.00 rather than £359.00, whilst the Audio Strap comes in at £79.99, a saving of £30. All these offers are available via the UK website from today until 29th November 2021.
Expect more VR Black Friday deals in the coming deals in the coming days. As they’re announced, VRFocus will keep you updated.