HTC VIVE takes business and consumer vr to the next level with two new vr headsets

HTC VIVE, the global leader in premium virtual reality (VR), sets a new benchmark for business and consumer VR, bringing 5K resolution and a 120-degree field of view as standard to the two new VR headsets announced today at the 2021 VIVE Virtual Ecosystem Conference (V²EC 2021).

VIVE FOCUS 3 redefines All-in-One VR with no compromises while VIVE PRO 2 pushes the boundaries of PC VR for incredible gaming, designing, and experiences. HTC also announced VIVE BUSINESS, its comprehensive range of tools designed to support businesses of any size to get the most out of VR.

“In line with our mission, we’ve combined the very latest technology with the needs and aspirations of our customers, enabling them to unleash their imagination to improve people’s lives and solve problems for business and society,” said Cher Wang, HTC Chairwoman and CEO, in the welcome speech for the conference. “Today’s launch marks a major milestone in our strategy to create the very best immersive experiences. We have listened to our customers, from well-known global companies to smaller firms and professional users, and have designed these premium headsets from the ground up to meet the challenges they face, adding a professional range of software, platform and services to make implementation as smooth and effective as possible?”

HTC China President Alvin Graylin Wang stated that, “VR is a technology that has the potential to fundamentally transform our lives, and 2021 will be the year people look back on as the year it really started to take off. The products and services we announced today are the key catalyst that will ignite the VR revolution by setting a new standard for what quality VR should be. Having a single device that can be used standalone, connect with a PC or 5G Cloud VR network, can be comfortably worn for many hours, while delivering a new level of clarity that not only can take you to another world but can also replace your daily monitor, will lead to accelerated adoption of VR in the near future.”

This HTC Vive Virtual Ecosystem Conference was held in VIVE SESSIONS, a virtual meeting platform provided in HTC’s VIVE XR SUITE. Together with HTC’s global virtual conference VIVECON, they have attracted more than 50,000 users registered for live interactive participation. The first V²EC last March was one of the world’s first large-scale industrial virtual conferences and this year have elevated all aspects of the event to a new level with over 10x attendance and 3x the content. 

At this year’s event, HTC China also unveiled its new virtual human character, VEE, to demonstrate the application of cutting-edge avatar and tracking technology in a Metaverse use case.

Continuous product innovation to enhance productivity

Since the launch of its first VR product in 2016, HTC Vive has provided a strong hardware lineup for enterprise users and consumers to truly feel the potential of XR as the next-generation computing platform. At V²EC 2021, HTC Vive didn’t disappoint with a range of newly launched hardware products.

VIVE Focus 3 – A New Era for VR

The new VIVE Focus 3 is the ultimate solution for standalone VR, combining outstanding visuals with a smarter ergonomic design, superior audio and next level inside-out tracking and controllers. VIVE Focus 3 will be on-the-shelf in China in late June, for RMB?9888 (includes 24 month VIVE Business Warranty and Services).

VIVE Focus 3 is powered by the premium-quality Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ XR2 Platform which unlocks staggering performance improvements including twice the CPU and GPU performance and 11x the AI processing compared to its predecessor^[1] which powers the original VIVE Focus.

The VIVE Focus 3 has delivered class-leading specs in a standalone device, with a combined 5K resolution, a smooth 90Hz refresh rate and an ultra-wide 120-degree field of view, for exceptional immersion. The new visuals mean fine details like text and overall fidelity are dramatically clearer, allowing for the potential to work, learn and browse comfortably in VR and replace existing monitors. At the conference, the VIVE Focus 3 was shown to deliver a high-definition personal virtual workspace supporting a physical keyboard and mouse via a custom version of vSpatial.

VIVE Focus 3 delivers industry-leading comfort, with a new strap design, balanced front-back weight distribution, and an intelligently designed curved swappable battery pack. VIVE Focus 3’s battery pack can be changed in seconds, allowing you to keep going for a non-stop day. Its quick-charge feature can give users 50% battery from just 30 minutes of charging, and an external L.E.D indicator lets you know how much power you have left.

Durable and lightweight, the magnesium alloy frame of VIVE Focus 3 is 20% lighter and 500% stronger than traditional plastics. VIVE Focus 3 has a wide range and fine-adjustable Inter-Pupillary Distance (IPD) range, as well as a quick-release head-strap button and magnetic front and rear face gaskets – so it’s quick and effortless to swap in replacements or clean them – which is especially important for multi-user scenarios.

When additional processing power is needed, the newly announced VIVE Business Streaming function will support connecting the VIVE Focus 3 to a VR-Ready PC to access all existing PC-VR content. The certified Vive Streaming Cable will be available for RMB?699 when the VIVE Focus 3 ships and the wireless streaming function is expected to arrive soon.

VIVE Focus 3 has new open-back speakers featuring a pair of dual drivers, delivering immersive and true-to-life audio. For peace of mind in VR meetings, a special audio privacy setting dramatically reduces the risk of being overheard by people nearby.

VIVE Focus 3 uses a proprietary AI-powered inside-out tracking algorithm for precise tracking, with privacy at the forefront as all tracking data is stored in an encrypted format on the headset. The redesigned controllers are easy and intuitive to use – one of the lightest 6dof controllers on the market and it still lasts for 15 hours on a single charge. Hand tracking support will be released in the near future.

To reward customers that purchase the VIVE Focus 3 in Q2, HTC will plan to bundle a three-month free license of the entire VIVE XR Suite (RMB?400 value) and a six-month free license of VIVE Sync (RMB?1500 value)