Category: Vive Reality System

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CES 2019: Vive Reality System für Vive Cosmos vorgeführt

Auf der Pressekonferenz von HTC, auf der diesjährigen CES 2019, wurde neben der neuen Vive Cosmos sowie dem Eye-Tracking HTC Vive Pro Eye außerdem das neue UI Vive Reality System für die kommende Vive Cosmos vorgestellt. Die Core-Software soll zukünftig hauseigene Produkte miteinander verbinden und als Einstiegspforte zur VR dienen. So soll sie Zugang zum Viveport bieten, das Öffnen von VR-Apps ermöglichen und zudem eine soziale Komponente zur Kommunikation mit Freunden offenbaren. Damit macht sich das Unternehmen eigenständig und löst sich von Valves VR-Plattform SteamVR.

CES 2019 – Vive Reality System für Vive Cosmos

Das neue UI Vive Reality System soll HTC’s Gegenstück zu Oculus Home werden und standardmäßig auf der kommenden Vive Cosmos aufgespielt werden. Entsprechend dient es als VR-Eingangspforte und ermöglicht das Öffnen von VR-Erfahrungen und -Apps. Außerdem bietet es den Zugang zum Viveport und erlaubt euch dank individuell anpassbarem Avatarsystem mit euren Freunden in einem virtuellen Umfeld sozial zu interagieren und kommunizieren.

Laut den HTC Creative Labs ist das Ziel, die VR-Nutzererfahrung völlig neu zu erfinden. So schreibt Drew Bamford, VP des Creative Labs, im eigenen Blog:

“Unsere Philosophie war schon immer darauf ausgerichtet, großartige Produkte und Erfahrungen zu entwickeln, die eine natürliche und mühelose Brücke von der realen Welt in die virtuelle Welt schlagen. Mit dem Vive Reality System haben wir uns vorgenommen, die Kern-Software von Valve neu zu gestalten, um diese Anforderungen zu erfüllen. Die Tools und Umgebungen des Vive Reality Systems zielen darauf ab, räumliches Computing für jedermann zugänglich zu machen, egal wohin die immersive Reise letztlich führt. Wir wollen, dass sich VR weniger wie das Starten von Apps anfühlt, sondern wie ein Wandern zwischen den Welten.”

So startet man in seiner eigenen Origin-Startumgebung, welche gleichzeitig als virtuelles Wohnzimmer für eure Freunde dient. In dieser könnt ihr durch virtuelle Linsen, die als Benutzeroberfläche dienen, in die anderen Umgebungen wechseln.

Langfristig soll die neue Software auf das gesamte Hardware-Portfolio von HTC erweitert werden und somit als Alternative zum derzeitigen Standard SteamVR bereitgestellt werden.

(Quellen: HTC Vive Blog | Upload VR | HTC Vive Twitter | Video: HTC Vive YouTube)

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HTC Confirms Vive Cosmos Will Support OpenVR/SteamVR

HTC might have given a first look at their new Vive Cosmos headset today, but they weren’t ready to offer many details. The headset is said to be compatible with tether to a PC, but the company also teased that it could be powered by a smartphone too, all under the ‘Vive Reality System’ platform. That’s left some questions about whether or not the headset will interface with SteamVR.

While the Vive originated from a deep partnership between Valve and HTC, in recent years HTC has made moves to be less reliant on Valve’s SteamVR ecosystem. Both the Vive Focus and now the Vive Cosmos have ditched the SteamVR Tracking technology in favor of optical inside-out tracking, and HTC has been focusing heavily on building out its Viveport content platform to pull users away from the SteamVR content library.

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So when HTC started talking about the ‘Vive Reality System’ (“a completely reimagined way for people to experience the virtual world—encompassing the total user experience from the moment a headset is put on to how content is interacted with,”) and didn’t mention Steam at all, it seemed like they were setting up the headset to be the start of their own, all inclusive ecosystem.

Executives were notably hesitant to talk about SteamVR compatibility for Cosmos when asked, but after some pressing, HTC has confirmed to Road to VR that Cosmos will be OpenVR compatible. Still the company company said it isn’t ready to talk about the “exact implementation.”

OpenVR is Valve’s open API that acts as the interface between VR hardware and software built against the OpenVR API. SteamVR is a runtime that implements OpenVR, which means that it’s interoperable with any OpenVR compatible headset. Because Cosmos is confirmed to support OpenVR, we know it’ll be able to run SteamVR too.

Image courtesy HTC Vive

And even though Cosmos will technically support SteamVR, it sounds like HTC doesn’t want that to be the default condition. The company plans to launch the Vive Reality System alongside the headset, and with it they want to have end-to-end control of the entire customer experience.

Details are still thin on the ground, but from our conversations with the company, we’re getting the sense that the plan is for Cosmos to run the Vive Reality System out of the box, instead of SteamVR. The Vive Reality platform itself could be built as an OpenVR-compatible runtime, allowing HTC layer in its own functionality in place of SteamVR—like the Viveport store, social services, and the default homespace, ‘Origin’, which they talked about today.

They could also potentially expose any OpenVR applications (including those from Steam) from within Vive Reality, effectively allowing users to access their SteamVR content through Vive Reality, though perhaps only if the content doesn’t explicitly rely on any Steam services (like social frameworks) in order to function.

The goal for Cosmos, it seems, is for HTC to make SteamVR optional, but not required, while Vive Reality stands in as the defacto platform.

For now, HTC doesn’t want to get into details, so we’ll have to wait to hear more about how it all comes together by the time Cosmos and Vive Reality launches later this year.

The post HTC Confirms Vive Cosmos Will Support OpenVR/SteamVR appeared first on Road to VR.

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Vive Reality System Will be Vive Cosmos’ new VR Portal

The HTC Vive press conference at CES 2019 has certainly been memorable thanks to the unveiling of the Vive Pro Eye and the Vive Cosmos headsets. As part of the latter’s announcement, HTC Vive has revealed the Vive Reality System, designed as a new portal for users to enter virtual reality (VR) worlds.

Vive Reality System

Designed by HTC’s Creative Labs, the Vive Reality System encompasses the total user experience from the moment a headset is put on to how content is interacted with.

Explaining more about the system, Drew Bamford, VP, Creative Labs, HTC Vive said in a statement: “Our philosophy has always been focused on developing great products and experiences that create a natural and effortless bridge from the real world to the virtual world and with Vive Reality System we set out to reimagine Vive’s core software experience to meet these needs. The tools and environments that make up Vive Reality System aim to make spatial computing accessible to everyone, wherever their journey into immersive worlds takes them. We want VR to feel less like launching apps and instead like stepping between worlds.”

The system is still in development, with HTC Vive saying that it ‘includes both operational and experiential elements’ designed to impact its entire portfolio. From the looks of these first images, the Vive Reality System has similarities with both Oculus Home and SteamVR Home, both of which are aiming for a realistic and welcoming home environment.

Vive Reality System

Eventually, the Vive Reality System will power all of HTC Vive’s hardware products, with the first being Vive Cosmos which is slated for launch by the end of 2019. Vive Cosmos is a consumer-focused device that’ll be PC powered whilst providing inside-out tracking for ease of use and setup, hopefully enticing more consumers into VR.

There’s still lots VRFocus doesn’t know about the Vive Reality System. As more details surface in the coming months, we’ll keep you updated on the latest announcements.

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CES 2019: Vive Reality System Looks Like HTC’s Big Departure From SteamVR

CES 2019: Vive Reality System Looks Like HTC’s Big Departure From SteamVR

HTC had a lot to share at its CES 2019 press conference today. Two new VR headsets, Vive Cosmos and Vive Eye Pro, undoubtedly stole the show. But it may be the announcement of the Vive Reality System that proves the be the most significant in the long run.

Vive Reality System is a brand new platform that will power Vive Cosmos. On the one hand, it appears to be the new user-interface where players will launch apps and access HTC’s VR storefront, Viveport. But the trailer below also suggests Vive Reality System will incorporate social VR, allowing friends to meet up with personalized avatars.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this news, however, is what it might mean for SteamVR. Until now, HTC Vive headsets have been entirely dependent on Valve’s VR platform. They utilized the company’s Lighthouse tracking and base stations. But, with Cosmos, HTC is introducing its own inside-out tracking system, free from Valve’s existing hardware. This might mean that Vive Reality System is HTC’s first move away from SteamVR on PC.

HTC has been experimenting with its own VR platforms for some time. In the mobile sector, the company created the Vive Wave platform for use with its Focus standalone headset and third-party devices. It’s possible that Cosmos will end up prioritizing Vive Reality System but also allow access to SteamVR games. Microsoft’s Windows-based VR headsets already do something similar for the Windows Mixed Reality platform. Cosmos will be releasing later this year, so we’ll be able to clean up our many questions then.

Still, HTC won’t be entirely abandoning SteamVR. The Vive Eye Pro will still require base stations for tracking. Speaking to UploadVR at CES, HTC’s Dan O’Brien said that the company will continue to make products that support Valve’s platform.

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The post CES 2019: Vive Reality System Looks Like HTC’s Big Departure From SteamVR appeared first on UploadVR.