Gestern Nacht hat HTC die neue Vive Proin Las Vegas präsentiert. Amerikanische Journalisten konnten das Modell schon testen, hinzu kommen Trailer, Webseite und weitere Infos. Offen bleibt nach wie vor der Preis und die Funktion der zweiten Kameralinse. Diese lädt zu Spekulationen ein: Könnte die Vive Pro einen Augmented-Reality-Modus mitbringen?
HTC Vive Pro: Die Vive 1.5 überzeugt bei Auflösung und Tragekomfort
Mit der Vive Pro stellt HTC einige Baustellen des Vorgängers fertig. So berichten die meisten Journalisten, dass der Deluxe Audio Strap nun überflüssig sei – durch ein Rad auf der Rückseite lässt sich das gegenüber dem normalen Modell leichter gewordene Headset einfacher am Kopf justieren. Die eingebauten Kopfhörer befeuert die Vive mit einem eigenen Verstärker – über die Soundqualität lässt sich allerdings kaum urteilen, schließlich fanden die ersten Tests in lauten Umgebungen statt.
Vielleicht die wichtigste Neuerung der Vive Pro gegenüber dem Standard-Modell der Vive sind die beiden neuen AMOLED-Desplays, die eine Auflösung von 1440 x 1600 Pixeln bieten und nach übereinstimmenden Berichten den Fliegengittereffekt deutlich reduzieren. Er ist wohl nur noch wahrnehmbar, wenn man sich darauf konzentriert. Zudem steigt die Lesbarkeit von Schriften deutlich. Laut Road To VR sind einzelne Pixel kaum noch zu erkennen. HTC scheint nach dem Bericht die gleichen Fresnel-Linsen wie beim alten Modell einzusetzen. Das Sichtfeld bleibt laut Webseite zur HTC Vive Pro unverändert bei 110 Grad, ebenso wie die Refreshrate bei 90 hz. Für die Verbindung zum PC setzt HTC auf USB-C 3.0 sowie DisplayPort 1.2.
Vive Pro mit zweitem Kameraauge
Die erste HTC Vive besitzt lediglich eine Kamera, die dafür gedacht ist, schnell einen Blick in die echte Realität zu werfen, ohne das Headset abnehmen zu müssen. HTC rüstet bei der Pro-Version auf und spendiert der VR-Brille eine zweite Kamera. Welche Auflösung diese haben, ist unbekannt. Theoretisch könnte das Gespann eine 3D-Ansicht der Wirklichkeit mit der virtuellen Realität verschmelzen und damit Augmented Reality ermöglichen. Ob Entwickler das nutzen, sei dahingestellt – auch, welche Werkzeuge und Möglichkeiten für die Kameras HTC zur Verfügung stellt.
Bereits bekannt war, dass die Vive Pro die SteamVR Tracker 2.0 unterstützt. Bis zu vier Basestations lassen sich verwenden und ein Feld von 100 Quadratmetern abdecken. Allerdings kann man auch die alten Stations verwenden. HTC will die Vive Pro im ersten Quartal 2018 als reine VR-Brille verkaufen. Das Set mit Controllern und den neuen Lighthouse-Stations soll später folgen. Für das dritte Quartal 2018 hat HTC dann die Auslieferung des Wireless-Adapters geplant, das die Vive sowie Vive Pro von den Kabeln befreien soll.
It might still be rather bulky, but HTC’s new Vive Pro brings a host of improvements that have the headset teetering on the edge of next-gen.
Today at CES 2018, HTC revealed the Vive Pro. It isn’t the ‘Vive 2’—and the original Vive will continue to be sold alongside it—but, in many ways, it raises the bar for PC VR headsets.
Improved Display Boosts Clarity
Photo by Road to VR
Sub-pixels Be Gone
First and foremost is the headset’s improved display, which offers 78% more pixels with a 2,880 × 1,600 resolution (1,440 × 1,600 per display). This makes a big difference in clarity of the VR world. With the original Vive’s 2,160 × 1,200 resolution it’s relatively easy to see sub-pixels (the little red, green, and blue dots that mix together to make white, and every other color you see). Looking through the lenses of the Vive Pro, not only have the sub-pixels disappeared, it’s challenging to even make out whole pixels.
Minimal ‘Screen Door Effect’
The increase in pixel density comes with an equal decrease in screen door effect (the grid-like black spaces between pixels). The screen door effect feels like it’s just on the cusp of disappearing; another jump in pixel density equal to the one we’ve seen here, and I’d venture to say it will be effectively invisible. When you aren’t looking carefully for it, especially in slightly darker scenes, you’ll hardly notice it.
With SDE Nearly Out of the Way, Aliasing and Mura Are the Next Challenge
What’s not invisible is aliasing and mura—if you hear people saying that the Vive Pro still has quite visible screen door effect (SDE), I would bet that they are actually talking about aliasing and mura.
Aliasing is what happens when you don’t have sufficient pixel density to convince your eyes that a perfectly straight line is perfectly straight, when it’s actually made up of the jagged edges of pixels—this effect is exaggerated at a distance since fewer pixels are available to render more distant objects. Anti-aliasing techniques can go a long way to hide aliasing, so how much you notice the aliasing vary depending upon the application, but it’s still there in the Vive Pro.
Mura describes inconsistencies in brightness and color from one pixel to the next. If you set the display to be completely blue, zero mura would mean that every pixel is emitting the exact same blue color and brightness when compared to its neighbors. Mura happens when the color and brightness from one pixel to the next diverges to a noticeable extent. The effect is perceived as a sort of cloudy mesh, as if looking through a very faint piece of linen over your eyes.
The good news is that the mura-correction on the Vive Pro appears at least as good as that of the original Vive (which is pretty good). However, it’s still there, and, perhaps, now an equal or slightly larger contributor to the clarity bottleneck than SDE.
And yes, these are Fresnel lenses (we’ve been told they are the same as in the original Vive; hat tip to Ian Hamilton), so you can expect to see the same god-ray artifacts as before, especially in high contrast scenes.
Clearer, More Immersive Views
The result of greater pixel density—which brings less aliasing and less noticeable individual pixels—and solid mura-correction makes a big difference in the clarity of the virtual scene when looking through the Vive Pro. With every step forward like this, we’re getting closer to feeling like your head is really in another place (that fleeting feeling of Presence).
When I put my head in the Vive Pro for the first time, standing in the finely rendered Driftwood environment, I couldn’t help but marvel at a new level of closeness to the virtual world; our heads are so close to pushing through the window screen and out into the virtual world.
But the increase in resolution isn’t the only thing that makes the Vive Pro feel like a substantial improvement over the original Vive. The headset is also more comfortable, easier to use, and supports even better tracking.
Ergonomic and Ease-of-use Enhancements
Image courtesy HTC
A Better Strap Out of the Box
Let’s start with comfort. The new strap on the Vive Pro feels like an improved version of the Deluxe Audio Strap (an optional accessory for the original Vive). Yes, it’s undeniably bulky, but some subtle changes make it more comfortable, and the Vive Pro comes standard with this new strap.
The new cable routing keeps it further from your head and is less restrictive when it comes to fitting the headset. | Photo by Road to VR
The new head mount on the Vive Pro functions roughly the same as the old one—with a knob on the back to tighten the headset to taste—but a change to the design of the padding structure on the back of the head feels, at least in my 20 minutes or so of testing it side-by-side with the DAS, to increase comfort by more gently cupping the area just under the crown of the head, rather than gripping tightly against the crown like a vice (as the DAS seems to do). It also feels easier to find the comfort sweet spot compared to the DAS.
The struts that connect the display housing to the back of the strap are also further away from your temples and help make the headset feel more ‘open’ on the sides rather than totally encompassing your head. Along with what feels like better balance, the Vive Pro feels less obtrusive on your head.
Photo by Road to VR
The new headphones also feel less likely to accidentally flip from the extended position into the on-ear position while you’re in the middle of putting on the headset (and irksome annoyance). Note: if you were following our HTC CES 2018 Press Event liveblog earlier, we reported that the Vive Pro has removable headphones—we’ve since confirmed that they’re actually permanently attached.
Let me be clear: long term comfort simply can’t be assessed without wearing the headset continuously for an hour or more; the design could turn out to be terribly uncomfortable after one or two hours. At least for now though, I’m quite encouraged by the ergonomic changes.
Easier Adjustment for Glasses and Lashes, Handy Buttons Behind Your Ears
Photo by Road to VR
It’s also easier to use. Instead of those semi-hidden knobs on either side of the headset to adjust the display-to-eye distance (which many people seem to have never known about), there’s a single button on the bottom of the display housing which lets you easily slide the housing back and forth. That makes it easier dial in the maximum field of view, or make room for longer eyelashes or glasses. As with the original, the facial interface is flush to your face, which means there no light leak if you’ve got things adjusted properly.
Furthermore, the headset picks up a few other helpful buttons. On the back of the left headphone is a pair of volume up/down buttons for easily adjusting the volume without going into the SteamVR menu. On the back of the right ear is a mute button which deafens the dual microphones, a wonderful addition which will make it far easier to mute your yourself when talking to someone outside of the headset, without bothering virtual peers in social experiences.
CES 2018 opens its doors tomorrow, allowing consumers, journalists and industry professionals to see the very latest technology from around the world. Today has already proved fruitful thanks to companies like HTC Vive and Qualcomm. The last press-conference to take place today is Sony’s. The company deals with many industries, one of which is cameras, with the press event showcasing the RX0, a device that can be connected with more of the same to create virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree imagery.
Sony had several variations on display today, from a single solitary camera, to a grouping of six and then 22. Using the same 1-inch sensor used in Sony’s RX 100 cameras, the RX0 has been designed with a waterproof, rugged housing so that users can take imagery in any condition.
Sony used the event to announce the Accessory Camera Control Box which unlocks further capabilities for the RX0. “You can connect up to 100 RX0 units together, and taking advantage of its compact and lightweight form, and completely symetrical lens positioning multiple cameras can be configured together without the hassle of syncronisation, and connected with or without wires,” said Kazuo Hirai – President and Global CEO, Sony Corporation at the event.
The Camera Control Box (model CCB-WD1) enables PC control with web browser via wired IP (internet protocol) connection. When using multiple pairs of RX0 cameras and camera control boxes, settings of all connected cameras can be changed simultaneously, and can be triggered to all start/stop recording at the same time.
Additionally, Sony has announced the latest version 6.2 of its PlayMemories Mobile application, expanding the multi-camera control capabilities when paired with the RX04. With the new version of the mobile application, users will be able to link their smartphone or tablet to up to 50 RX0 cameras via an access point to control them simultaneously.
The new CCB-WD1 Camera Control Box is expected to ship next month for about $700 USD. For the last cameras technology that can shoot immersive imagery, keep reading VRFocus.
It might have been a night, as this year’s CES trade show properly got underway, that has been dominated by the news of a brand new version (or upgrade) of the HTC Vive head mounted display (HMD) – the HTC Vive Pro. But that doesn’t mean that HTC have had the headlines all to itself when it comes to virtual reality (VR).
Whilst Vive had their own conference, where it had teased in advance there would be plenty to get people interested, HTC’s rivals at Oculus’s time in the limelight came at the end of Qualcomm’s press event. Where they surprised everyone with the announcement of a new standalone HMD specifically for the Chinese market (in a similar move to the Vive Focus) which will be made by their international hardware partner on the Oculus Go, Xiaomi.
The announcement for this was, from Facebook’s side, made by Hugo Barra who took to the stage and, along with the news of the Xiaomi partnership, also confirmed the reason for both himself and Xiaomi’s Thomas Tang being in attendance. That the hardware (that is identical between the Oculus Go and the Xi VR Standalone would be running off hardware provided by Qualcomm Technologies. More specifically, the collaboration sees both headsets using the Snapdragon Mobile VR Platform to cope with the processing side of performing VR in a standalone piece of technology. It will be the Snapdragon 821 which is used in the case of both headsets.
Qualcomm were also involved in the annoucement of the aforementioned HTC Vive standalone headset targeting the Chinese market, later revealed to be called the Vive Focus. Although in that instance it was revealed that the Vive HMD would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. The Snapdragon 821 does however power a number of smartphones that are compatible with Google’s smartphone based HMD the Daydream View, such as the LG G6.
Speaking after the initial announcement on Twitter, Barra added that “We’ve worked closely with Qualcomm to deliver the highest possible level of performance in the standalone VR category.”
More details are expected at a later date. For everything relating to CES 2018 stay tuned to VRFocus.
Qualcomm held its pre-CES 2018 press conference today and as part of the event brought virtual reality (VR) company Oculus on stage for a very special announcement. Oculus has revealed that its been working with Chinese tech company Xiaomi to create a specific standalone head-mounted display (HMD) for the Chinese market called Mi VR.
Making the announcement was Oculus VP of VR Hugo Barra, revealing that Mi VR is based on Oculus’ own upcoming virtual reality (VR) headset the Oculus Go. Mi VR standalone shares the same core hardware features and design as Oculus Go and supports the Oculus Mobile SDK, enabling existing Oculus developers to easily bring their content to the Mi VR platform in China.
Xiaomi is working directly with Oculus developers to localize some of the most popular content from the Oculus Store and to bring it to the Mi VR Store in China.
In collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, both headsets use the Snapdragon Mobile VR Platform to address VR processing demands. The partnership between Oculus and Xiaomi isn’t just about the Mi VR headset, Xiaomi is Oculus’ hardware partner for launching Oculus Go globally.
Tang Mu, VP of Mi Ecosystem and head of Mi Lab, said in a statement: “We are excited to work with Oculus on these standalone devices that exceed expectations in terms of performance at a very attractive price. Xiaomi has always relentlessly pursued the best user experience and price-to-performance ratio. For the best experience, we consider every minute detail. Through our collaboration with Oculus, we have integrated world-class technologies and craftsmanship to produce a VR standalone that lets people immerse themselves in another world without being connected to smartphones or computers.”
No price has yet been revealed for the Mi VR but with Oculus Go priced from $199, Chinese consumers will likely pay a similar cost. As further details emerge VRFocus will keep you updated.
The HTC Vive arguably offers one of the most superior virtual reality (VR) experiences currently available to consumers. The head-mounted display (HMD) pioneered roomscale tracking at a time when seated VR was the given norm. Now, Vive are looking to deliver a higher quality experience for those who demand it.
The Vive Pro, revealed today at Vive’s CES 2018 press conference, Las Vegas, isn’t an easy sell. The new HMD’s improved screens, built-in headphones and heavy-duty headstrap are likely to bump-up the price of the device considerably, and though Vive has stated that there will be an ‘upgrade option’ for existing HTC Vive owners, we don’t yet know how much that will run. What we do know however, is where the improvements lie.
The most immediate discussion concerning the Vive Pro is the improved resolution. Housing two dual-OLED displays for a combined resolution of 2880 x 1600, the Vive Pro presents a 78% increase over the HTC Vive. And that increase is noticeable. This isn’t a case of the Samsung Gear VR’s improved resolution from Galaxy Note 4 to Galaxy S6; this is a whole new beast. The screendoor effect (where the lines between pixels are visible) is all but removed and the latency of the display – though no official statistics have yet been revealed – doesn’t seem to have suffered one bit. If it’s a visual quality upgrade you’re looking for, Vive Pro certainly delivers an answer.
More impressive however is the audio quality. The new built-in headphones are comfortable and include cup-mounted volume controls. When tested with a demonstration version of Ready Player One’s Sansar environment, the dual-microphone system was really put to the test. Guided through the experience by a second player in a remote location, the audio was crystal clear without any feedback from the busy press conference floor.
The HMD itself features a significantly different form factor to the original HTC Vive. A more rectangular housing and a revised version of the Deluxe Audiostrap present a design that appears just as bulky as the original, and yet the Vive Pro is discernibly more comfortable. The weight difference (the Vive Pro is reportedly lighter) was not hugely evident, though a more direct comparison between the two versions of the HMD will need to be made before anything more conclusive can be offered.
Of course, one of the potentially biggest changes from the HTC Vive to the Vive Pro has not yet been discussed: the two front-facing cameras mounted upon the device. While the HTC Vive included a single camera its functionality was decidedly limited. Now, the Vive Pro would presumably be capable of stereo-tracking, and thus opening up many options for inside-out tracking and potentially augmented reality (AR), in addition to VR. Exactly what Vive has planned for this however, is not yet known.
The Vive Pro is essentially a small update to the HTC Vive, but in the areas that actually really matter. It’s hard to say anything discouraging about the changes to the HMD as they are all for the better – some more so than others – and to many of VR’s early-adopters will be seen as the right step forward for Vive to be making. However, the usefulness of these new additions will surely have to be weighed up against price, which is an important factor Vive has not yet discussed in any capacity. VRFocus has much more coverage of the Vive Pro to come, so you can be sure we’ll keep you updated with any further statements regarding this important question
Vive Video, HTC Vive’s native video player, has been out for a while, and we haven’t seen many improvements or new features appear for it in quite some time. Thankfully today’s HTC announcement bonanza has also brought us some good news about Vive Video – it’s getting an update, with support for new a new video host – Vimeo.
Vive Video provides plenty of new virtual reality (VR) video content to HTC Vive owners and works to solve the discovery issue that surrounds quality VR experiences. With the new update, users will be able to watch Vimeo content too, in addition to some expected UI changes and some new features.
Vimeo, as you likely already know, is one of the largest video hosting sites in the world, with millions of videos to watch from millions of content creators. The Vimeo content you’ll be recommended will be carefully curated, and will be optimised for VR viewing, of course.
Christophe Gillet is GM of Vimeo’s Creator Platform, believes the incorporation of Vimeo to Vive Video will give a whole new wave of quality VR content to a whole new audience; “Whether we’re building our own tools in-house or partnering with other innovative platforms, Vimeo is committed to the future of storytelling and finding new ways to support our creators. Not only does the integration with Vive Video showcase some of Vimeo’s highest quality, human-curated content within the VR experience, but it also gives those creators an exciting new way to expose their work and engage with audiences.”
As one might expect, Vive Video is one of the most-downloaded and highest-rated app on Steam VR, and is also available on Google Daydream, in addition to HTC Vive head-mounted displays (HMDs), and in the future the Vive Wave.
The expansion of content available on Vive Video can only be a good thing, and as an addition to the impressive announcements of the HTC Vive Pro and the HTC Vive Wireless Adapter, it seems like the future is incredibly bright for HTC Vive owners and those thinking about purchasing.
CES 2018, Las Vegas, has had loads of new VR announcements with more happening all of the time. For all of the latest tech news, keep reading VRFocus.
Today at a pre-CES Vive press event, we got a look at the newly announced HTC Vive Pro, a higher-resolution headset from the company acting as a sort of ‘Vive 1.5’.
Firstly, the addition of a 2880 x 1600 resolution OLED display ( 1440 x 1600 per display) makes the new Vive Pro a full 78% higher resolution than the standard Vive headset, which is 2160 x 1200. The original Vive is still going to be sold “through 2018” however, says Vive GM Daniel O’Brien.
Not only does it bump the resolution, but it includes a few of the ‘premium’ add-on comforts of the original Vive including integrated audio via a headstrap similar to the original deluxe audio strap – a $100 add-on. Now a standard feature of the new Vive Pro, the headphones are actually now removable, and the side struts appear to sit further from the users temple.
An in-line amp is said to provide a better audio experience over the previous model. Also interesting to note: the back left headphone has volume buttons on it for quick manual adjustment.
Besides some of the obvious bits, the new headset has replaced the old knob mechanism for adjusting the lens-to-eye distance with a single button. Vive GM Daniel O’Brien says this makes it even easier for glasses-wearer since is fast to adjust.
The rear strap has the familiar tightening nob and a guide for the tether. There’s actually a large flat piece that cups the back of the head that’s under the back strap.
The headset also includes dual mics, an in-line amp, and dual passthrough camera sensors. We’ll have a hands-on with the Vive Pro later today, so we’ll be able to test out just how the dual passthrough cameras work. The dual passthrough cameras replace the original Vive’s single camera.
You’ll notice tracking sensors are still a big feature on the Vive Pro, as the headset is backwards compatible with the original SteamVR 1.0 tracking with its 2.0 tracking sensors nodules.
We’re trying it right now as we speak, so we’ll bring our hands-on as soon as humanly possible. Check back for more virtual and augmented reality news to come from this year’s CES.
HTC Vive has certainly started CES 2018 with a bang. After releasing a teasing tweet a few days ago it’s now come to light that the company was working on an upgraded headset, the HTC Vive Pro, and a wireless adapter. Details yet to be revealed include how much the new headset will cost. What isn’t happening however is the original HTC Vive being replaced.
During HTC Vive’s press conference today in Las Vegas the company has confirmed the normal HTC Vive will continue to be sold as per usual. The HTC Vive Pro will be offered as an upgrade option which will become available this quarter. It’ll also be sold as a HMD only – so it won’t include base stations or any other accessories.
“There’s a clear need in the VR market for a premium VR experience with high resolution display, integrated audio and the best components available today in a headset,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM U.S., VIVE in a statement. “Vive Pro offers an immediate upgrade for both VR enthusiasts and enterprises that want to utilize the best VR experience.”
What remains to be seen is how HTC Vive plans on pricing the new design. With Oculus Rift now staying put at $399 USD and PlayStation VR massively leading the way with its similarly price headset, will HTC Vive Pro come down below the current $599. Even with the additional improvements to the HMD and Valve upgrading the base stations to 2.0, a high price point may still make the headset unobtainable for many.
Yet this still showcases a more aggressive tact than sometimes previously seen by HTC Vive, especially with the addition of its own Wireless Adaptor which will go head to head with TPCAST. TPCAST originally received funding and help through the Vive X Accelerator, announcing compatibility just for HTC Vive. Then late last year the company revealed an Oculus Rift version. HTC Vive’s adapter doesn’t use TPCAST tech, instead using WiGig technology from Intel.
As VRFocus learns more about the HTC Vive Pro and HTC Vive’s plans for the future of VR, we’ll let you know.
After hearing so much and seeing so little, we’re finally going to see in Steam VR Tracking 2.0 in the flesh at CES 2018, Las Vegas. There’s plenty of demand from virtual reality (VR) fans for Steam and Valve to introduce their latest iteration of their VR tracking technology, especially since the base stations with Steam VR Tracking 2.0 should be smaller, quieter, use less power and be generally more reliable and more inexpensive than the 1.0 version.
Now users will be able to link four base stations together for more accurate tracking, over a space of 10×10 metres – congratulations if you have an empty room in your house that big.
Users are expected to get their hands on the new technology this year, with far better performance than the 1.0 iteration of the tech.
The HTC Vive was the very first device that allowed users to experience room-scale VR, and Valve are happy to report that they’ve had over 1,000 licensees signed up to incorporate the tech into their head-mounted displays (HMDs) and other devices.
It arrives at the perfect time, as we’ve just had confirmation of the HTC Vive Pro, which offers improved resolution over the original HTC Vive, giving Steam VR users a clearer and more immersive experience than ever before.
Not content with just a small few announcements, we also had confirmation of the HTC Vive Wireless Adapter, which is compatible with both the HTC Vive and HTC Vive Pro, and gives users an official way to experience untethered VR.
Last year, Valve’s Joe Ludwig said of Steam VR Tracking 2.0; “In early 2018, we’ll expand that functionality to 4 base stations that should cover a single room play space of roughly 10 x 10 meters.” Now Ludwig’s promises are becoming reality, and that massive space increase will heavily impact the immersion of room-scale VR.
For all of the latest on announcements from CES 2018, make sure to keep reading VRFocus, where we’ll have impressions, news, announcements and all of the latest VR tidbits straight from the show floor.