With most of the heavy hitters launching their entries into the virtual reality (VR) market last year, it’s time for a little more diversification in the growing VR industry. At least, that’s what HTC thinks as it announced that the Taiwan-based company was going to launch a mobile-powered VR headset, but not like the ones already out there, they say.
HTC launched its own VR flagship last year in the HTC Vive. The headset had probably one of the most powerful and visually pleasing experiences – but the catch was that it was one of the more pricey headsets, and you needed to be tethered by physical wires to a powerful PC unit for it to work. This was while most of the more affordable variants were powered by mobile phones that you strapped onto headsets – like the Samsung Gear VR, and more recently, the Google Daydream View headset.
HTC said that this new VR headset will be powered by their new HTC U Ultra flagship phone – much like the Gear VR and Daydream View. But HTC is quick to point out that it won’t be as “simple” as those products. “We have a good plan in terms of combining mobility with VR,” said Chia-lin Chang, HTC’s president of global sales. Their product would be a “different thing,” they say.
Most probably, HTC is trying to hit the gap between the high-end VR systems – like the Vive and the Oculus Rift – and the more basic “strap on” variants. The company says that the mystery VR product will be launching towards the end of the year.
VIA: CNET
