HTC announced two new VR headsets to meet the needs of professionals and enterprises at the ViveCon virtual reality conference. From the standalone Vive Focus 3 to the PC-based HTC Vive Pro 2, HTC VR owners can benefit from some major upgrades this year.
The company emphasized the importance of virtual reality, citing research from PwC that predicts VR and AR will add more than $1.4 trillion to the global economy by 2030. HTC said the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs across all sectors and industries was at stake.
To help businesses prepare for the VR revolution, both new HTC Vive headsets have been enhanced to offer a wider 120-degree field of view (FOV), improved refresh rate, dual-element lens design, and 5K total display resolution for a more natural and immersive view of virtual worlds. The company claimed that both headsets are designed to be comfortable to wear, which is important for long sessions in VR.
“The set of solutions that HTC Vive is introducing today was built from the ground up for businesses, enterprises and professionals,” HTC executives said in the company’s keynote address. “We focused on a few areas to deliver the best results: the easiest to run and the fastest and most compliant deployment.”
The company claimed that it communicated with users and listened to their feedback, and in response, HTC Focus 3 and HTC Vive Pro 2 were created.
HTC Vive Focus 3
HTC has made some big changes to make its standalone virtual reality experience more immersive and natural, and the company spent a significant portion of its Focus 3 introduction talking about the headset’s screen.
New this year are dual 2.5K displays with a total combined resolution of 5K. HTC claims this delivers 260% better performance than the previous generation all-in-one headset. The company also says that subpixels have also been increased, with now 400% more subpixels across the entire display.
“But what are the benefits of higher resolution?” Dan O’Brien of HTC Americas asked rhetorically. “These rich displays enable more natural interactions. You no longer have to get closer to reveal details, and everything can be designed in a more realistic way. You no longer have to worry about loss of fidelity. Now, the amazing medical professionals in training can see what’s written on instruments and tools with just a quick glance, without having to physically get close.”
The Vive Focus 3 also widens the viewing angle to 120 degrees this year and increases the refresh rate from 60Hz to 90Hz. O’Brien claimed this level is on par with many PC-based virtual reality headsets.
Given that the Focus 3 is intended to be a standalone solution, HTC designed the battery to be easily replaceable, with the rear-mounted battery acting as a counterweight for added comfort rather than forcing the VR screen on your face. HTC claims that the battery can recharge quickly enough to reach 50% in just 30 minutes.
“Our research shows that, on average, people are using VR more frequently and for longer periods of time,” O’Brien said. “That’s why the Focus 3 is designed to be both durable and lightweight. It uses a magnesium alloy frame that’s 20% lighter and 500% stronger than traditional plastic. The Focus 3 is built for comfort, featuring new straps designed to distribute weight and an intelligently designed custom battery pack that flexes behind the head to provide a natural counterweight.”
Other features include an adjustable IPD that adjusts the distance between the screens to suit your eyes, true-to-life open audio, a noise-canceling microphone, and an AI-based internal tracking algorithm designed to work with the headset’s four high-field-of-view cameras.
HTC claimed that “privacy is of the utmost importance as all tracking data is stored in an encrypted partition on the headset using methods that make reverse engineering virtually impossible.”
Powered by the Vive Focus 3 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR chipset with 8GB of RAM. Heat pipes and a single fan keep your headset cool.
HTC Vive Pro 2
For users who need more performance than a standalone solution, HTC has also released an updated Vive Pro 2. Like the standalone Focus 3, the Vive Pro 2 features a wide 120-degree viewing angle, a 5K combined resolution display, and a focus on comfort and ergonomics.
What makes the Vive Focus Pro 2 different, aside from requiring powerful PC-based graphics, is that it supports a faster 120Hz refresh rate compared to the Focus 3’s 90Hz.
In the keynote, HTC executives claimed, “Vive Pro 2 delivers incredibly sharp, yet smooth and vivid visuals.” “It has dual 2.5k screens and the new dual-lens configuration seen on the Focus 3.”
The result is a 260% increase in resolution and a 400% increase in subpixel count.
“With Vive Pro 2, you can see incredible detail that complements the crisp, clear screen,” HTC said. To complement the immersive visuals, 3D spatial audio support is provided through integrated headphones.
To achieve this level of picture clarity, HTC worked with Nvidia and AMD, and the Pro 2 is the first headset to utilize Display Stream Compression technology, which compresses all visual data in a lossless manner while maintaining backward compatibility with DisplayPort 1.2, HTC executives said.
“If your PC is compatible with the original Vive Pro, that means it will also be compatible with the Vive Pro 2,” HTC said. “Even if your graphics card doesn’t support display stream compression, you can still benefit from the panel’s new significantly reduced screen door effect. This means more detail and complex models that stay crisp and clear on the go.”
As with the original Vive Pro, comfort is still a major part of the headset’s design, with padded gaskets that work with glasses, an adjustable IPD, and more.
The company also unveiled a new Vive facial tracker that brings empathy to the virtual world.
“One of the reasons VR is great for social interaction is because of its ability to empathize,” HTC said. “VR allows us to focus and interact together in a more natural way. Our Vive Facial Tracker, which helps bring VR to life, has been a huge hit since launching just a few weeks ago. By capturing 38 different blend shapes across the entire face, we can create expressive characters and convey all-important non-verbal signals like the subtlety of a smile.”
HTC says the Vive Pro 2 is backwards compatible with its existing tracker and hardware ecosystem, so you can mix and match your setup.
The HTC Vive Pro 2 will be available starting June 3, with pre-orders starting today. Focus 3 will go on sale on June 24th. HTC didn’t announce pricing for either headset during its keynote.
Vive software solutions for businesses
HTC has announced a variety of solutions for businesses, but its main software bundle for businesses transitioning to remote work is that its Vive Sync application is now out of beta. Vive Sync lets teams and organizations share experiences like meetings, birthday parties, and more through virtual reality, and the app is now part of the Vive XR family.
The company also announced the Vive Business App Store to help users find curated apps, and is also building out an ISV program to help bring more VR tops to the store. To date, more than 50 ISV partners have signed up.
“The Vive ISV program gives businesses easy access to trusted developer partners for their custom VR needs,” HTC said. “The ISV program has been our top priority in Vive business development.”
HTC also announced the Vive Business Device Management System, which acts like an MDM system for businesses managing Vive headsets. Instead of having users purchase individual apps, IT administrators can manage licenses and seats through a business device management system.
“This puts the entire enterprise VR network at your fingertips,” HTC executives said. “You can manage licenses, transfer or purchase exclusive content to your devices, and assign programs to individuals or groups. You can also perform bulk configurations to efficiently set up new devices, securely manage software updates, and get analytics on the performance of your devices and accessories.”
HTC Vive Focus 3 comes with complimentary business device management system and six months of access to Vive Sync Enterprise.
The company also announced Vive Business Training, a tool that can be managed from tablets and is designed for group training. The trainer can access what each person in the group is seeing on the headset through multiple windows on the tablet, highlighting items or moving users through sections.
HTC calls it “a complete solution of software and services that enables organizations of all sizes to access virtual reality in a scalable, compliant, and secure way.”