HTC reveals Vive Flow immersive VR glasses
The Vive Flow is a compact and light VR HMD with a release date coming at the end of October.
While virtual reality and augmented reality technology have expanded, HTC and it’s Vive brand have been on the cutting edge of performance in the space. The company has announced several more VR HMDs in 2021 that are built towards standalone and PC performance, but the company just announced a new product that might be its most versatile and accessible yet: The HTC Vive Flow. It’s a set of VR glasses built with a super lightweight and compact design that offers absolute portability without entirely sacrificing performance.
HTC revealed the Vive Flow VR glasses via its website and through a lengthy Twitter thread from HTC CEO Shen Ye. The HTC Vive Flow is a 189 gram (about 0.41 pounds) set of glasses featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM storage. It features a maximum 1600x1600 resolution per eye on two 2x2.1 LCD screens with a 75Hz refresh rate and up to a 100-degree field of view. It can be powered via external power source such as a compatible battery bank via USB-C cable. For all of this, the HTC Vive Flow will retail at $499 on October 31, 2021 and pre-orders are open now.
Some tertiary features to the HTC Vive Flow are that it can be controlled via any compatible Android-powered smartphone device. It also features Wi-Fi support and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. There are stereo speakers on the device with spacial audio, as well as dual microphones with echo and noise cancellation, but it can also connect to any Bluetooth-compatible headphones or audio devices.
With the way controller support is set up and the limit on RAM, the Vive Flow seems unlikely to be a replacement for full-on HMDs like the standalone HTC Vive Focus 3 that was announced earlier this year. That said, the Vive Flow still looks as though it will offer a decent range of productivity and access to VR experiences. As HTC preps these VR glasses for launch at the end of the month, stay tuned for further updates and details here at Shacknews.
-
Shacknews
replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, HTC reveals Vive Flow immersive VR glasses
-
VR Folks
HTC is going to be showing off their new Vive Flow VR something in an hour, for those who are interested.
https://twitter.com/htcvive/status/1448123646694789122?s=20
-
More VR stuff
Microsoft Shows Off Adaptive Shape VR Controller Prototype
Called ‘X-Rings’, the device uses a stack of four motor-driven expandable rings with capacitive sensors to simulate grasping and even deforming virtual objects.
Like with the Valve Index controllers, X-Rings is strapped to your hand allowing you to let go and naturally throw. But instead of grabbing the same handle, X-Rings adapts its width with the four rings.
Since the ring plates have capacitive sensors and the motors have current sensors, X-Rings knows which plates your fingers are or aren’t touching, and the force they’re applying. Combining this sensing with the motors enables advanced interactions such as breaking virtual glass or ceramics by squeezing too hard.
https://youtu.be/yTqaB1g-IeY
That thing is gonna end up in some weird places.
-
-
In this case I don't think it'd be fixing something immersion-breaking as much as adding a whole new layer/type of immersion. Having every object you grab "feel" like what it is could be great if done well. Oddly enough, my first thought is something like Phasmophobia where each of the tools could feel different. That said, I'd be surprised if we ever see this show up for consumer use, but I imagine industry could find a lot of use cases for it.
-
-
-
lol Youtube comments completely shitting all over it'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxU7n5HmmO0
Can't say I blame them. Aside from the weight, I don't see what this product innovates on. -
Oof...that press conference was painful. I attended on their Engage platform and, after they unveiled the product with the promo video, the MC excitedly asked who wanted one...and was met with a room full of people confusedly looking back and forth at one another until eventually a couple half-heartedly raised their hands. I don't think the product itself is a bad idea, but that price point makes no sense whatsoever. UploadVR says it's comfortable, though!
https://uploadvr.com/vive-flow-hands-on/-
-
I got to socialize with some interesting people while standing around waiting for the show to start, so that was kind of worth it lol
-
-
$500?? what? The oculus quest 2 is cheaper and you can do things with it.
-
It’s cheaper than a quest 2 not subsidized by facebook data.
-
-
Eye of the Temple VR is available on Steam today, and there's a 10% discount to celebrate the launch!
https://youtu.be/B5Bn9qdy3FY
https://store.steampowered.com/app/589940/Eye_of_the_Temple/
Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1365940/Eye_of_the_Temple_First_Steps/
If you have a 3m x 3m playspace this game is a ton of fun, at least based on the demo. It's a platforming/puzzle game where you feel like you are moving all over the place even though you're just waking in a squared area; think Tea For God with clever player guidance instead of non-euclidian geometry. Plus, if you're a nerd like me and have a green screen studio you can do mixed-reality capture and put yourself in the game! I'll try to do a stream either tomorrow or this weekend and link it here if anyone's interested.-
Oh, and you should be warned that if you don't have your VR legs there's a good chance this game will make you fall on your ass!
-
-
-
