HTC Vive has slowly been teasing new information about the upcoming Vive Cosmos headset which was first unveiled during CES 2019. After a short video last week showcased the latest design, now the company has finally released some useful specifications for virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts to get their teeth into.
Releasing just the singular image seen above, the HTC Vive Cosmos will feature a combined resolution of 2880×1770 (1440×1700 per-eye) using an LCD display. This is an 88% increase in resolution over the original HTC Vive which came in at 1080×1200 per-eye. There’s no specific mention regarding whether this is one panel or two although the infographic does state ‘Real RGB panels’.
With red, green and blue sub-pixels the display will increase the subpixel count over the HTC Vive’s OLED display. While OLED does work better in darker scenarios, LCD does have its benefits for VR including fast switching hence why Valve Index also uses an LCD display.
Vive Cosmos will keep the Vive’s industry standard 90Hz refresh rate, although head-mounted displays (HMD) like Oculus Rift S are starting to play with that number – Rift S is 80Hz.
The information also states ‘40% improved lens clarity over the original Vive’. While that’s quite vague in terms of what HTC Vive has developed, the image does seem to show Fresnel lenses being used, so hopefully, lens sharpness has been improved much like the new Oculus HMDs.
Speaking of Oculus, the Vive Cosmos most certainly looks like a competitor to Oculus Rift S, with its six lens inside-out tracking arrangement, PC tether and halo-style headband. But there are several differences as well. Vive Cosmos has a vented removable faceplate which houses two of the lenses. This new venting system has been designed to keep air flowing so users can stay in VR for longer without fatigue and stay cooler. Additionally, the swappable faceplate can be updated for different XR needs in the future.
There’s still no word on price or an exact release date, with a Q3 2019 window still in play. VRFocus will continue its coverage of HTC Vive Cosmos, reporting back with the latest updates.