HTC has released a virtual reality helmet for the metaverse

Taiwanese technology manufacturer HTC has unveiled a new VR headset that will allow users to go into virtual worlds and compete with existing helmets. Devices from HTC received the name VIVE XR Elite.

According to the manufacturer, the new equipment will have a full-color pass-through BRG camera with a 110-degree field of view. Considering how the metaverses are now trying to convey the feeling of being in virtual worlds to users and making their actions in the metaverses, it was thoughtful from HTC to build in the hand tracking function.

In terms of image quality, the VIVE XR Elite has support for 4K resolution, and the 90Hz refresh rate should also please fans of the virtual world. The HTC VR helmet will weigh 625 grams.

The USB-C port, which is designed to charge the headset, will allow users to connect the VIVE XR Elite to a computer and be able to play VR games on Steam as well as on the VIVEPORT platform. It is noteworthy that in addition to full immersion in the virtual world, the VR helmet will allow the owners of the device to look at the real world in a new way, since it has an augmented reality function.

The VIVE XR Elite will cost US $1,099. European customers will have to pay almost 50% more, namely €1,449 (~$1,545). Mailing of virtual helmets to buyers will begin at the end of February.

In order to improve the user experience of finding users in the Metaverse, HTC has entered into a partnership agreement with Lamina1, a metaverse development company. Lamina1 helped HTC create the VIVERSE metaverse that all helmet owners can visit. Notably, VIVERSE resources will be interconnected with Lamina1 data, allowing for “efficient asset allocation” across different virtual worlds.

In the future, HTC plans to push the boundaries of the metaverse world and expand its capabilities and improve the user experience as a VIVE XR Elite owner. For example, a Taiwanese tech manufacturer wants to partner with Warner Music Taiwan to host virtual music concerts in the future.

The Taiwanese division of ELLE magazine may also partner with HTC in the future. In this case, the company will be able to release the ELLEverse virtual showroom. In the latter, they want to give users unique digital avatars. Such an experiment could last throughout 2023.

Meta's Quest Pro will be the main competitor of the VIVE XR Elite, but it will be quite difficult for the first device manufacturers to win the upcoming battle. Quest Pro costs $1,499, which is almost half the price of the HTC counterpart, and its functionality, judging by the press reviews, leaves much to be desired.

Journalists from The Verge managed to try out the helmet from Meta and, according to them, so far the technical state of the Quest Pro is, to put it mildly, very far from the concept of “perfect”. One of the main features of the helmet, eye tracking in the Horizon Worlds metaverse often doesn't work properly.

For this reason, when users look at each other in the virtual world, the 3D avatars have half-closed eyes. Malfunctioning is not only about tracking the eyes of users, but also about the software. Due to issues in the Workrooms platform, social media contact synchronization is not yet working properly. The journalists also noted the poor quality of the 3D avatars in Workrooms, which still definitely needs polishing.

When the fierce battle between HTC and Quest Pro begins, the companies will try to offer users rich functionality and try to reduce the prices of products. This will allow the world to take another step towards the acceptance of the metaverses and their full integration into our lives.