At MWC 2015, HTC teamed up with Valve, the gaming company, to introduce a new virtual reality headset. The new VR headset is called the HTC Vive and the aim of the joint venture is to bring mass-market virtual reality even close to actual reality.
The HTC chief marketing office, Idris Mootee, claims that the new HTC Vive virtual reality headset venture is “the most exciting thing that has happened in the world of technology since the invention of the smartphone.” Mootee also asserts that the technology of the HTC Vive headset is “at least 9 months to a year ahead of Oculus”
Facebook dished out $2 billion last year to acquire the Oculus virtual reality company as well as the outfit that powers the Gear VR goggles that the Samsung company currently sells.
Gear VR is presently on the market as we speak, and the HTC Vive will not be available for purchasing until later on this year. Both Sony and Google are also looking into the virtual reality area of things, while other big-name tech companies, such as Microsoft, are dipping into aspects like holograms and the field of augmented reality.
HTC claims that its Vive VR headset differs from the Samsung Gear VR in ways that will allow you to wear the headset while you walk around, giving you the ability to explore your virtual space and inspect objects from any angle. When you’re wearing Gear VR, you have to be seated or at least stationary.
Also, according to HTC, you will also be able to “touch” objects while you’re wearing Vive headgear and you can pop a flying balloon and feel the sensation of opening up a door. HTC promises graphics of the highest quality, video at 90 frames per second and top of the line audio fidelity,
According to Cher Wang, the HTC chairwoman and co-founder, Vive headgear puts you inside of a 3D environment and is not like sitting and watching a 3D movie.
At its current stage, Vive can connect to a Windows PC, but not to a phone like Gear VR. Both Android and Valve’s Stream OS and tracking technologies are built into the Vive system. Valve is planning to distribute around 1,200 developer kits to media and gaming companies and also some universities in April of this year.
