HTC Vive Pro Is Sharp, Advanced, and Impressive

LAS VEGAS—HTC might be pushing ahead in the virtual reality artillery race. The visitor announced ii new products here at CES that are very impressive steps forrard in VR.

CES 2022 bug art The Vive Pro is an upgraded version of the Vive, while the Vive Wireless Adaptor accessory finally gets rid of the dragging cables that accept annoyed me since I showtime put on an Oculus Rift DK1.

The Vive Pro drastically increases the display resolution over the original Vive. Information technology features two OLED panels with ane,440-by-1,600 resolution for each eye, a significant bound compared with the Vive'due south 1,080-by-1,200 resolution. It features the same 110-degree field of view and 90Hz refresh rate, which translates to a sharper motion-picture show that keeps the same wide angle and smooth motion as the Vive.

HTC Vive Pro

The Vive Pro also features two front-facing cameras instead of the unmarried one institute on the Vive. HTC is remaining quiet about what the stereo cameras correspond, only they could make the Vive Pro somewhen work with Windows Mixed Reality. Windows Mixed Reality headsets use a stereoscopic camera organization for position tracking instead of the external sensor beacons of the Vive and Oculus Rift, and the addition of a second camera on the Vive Pro might open the headset up to compatibility with Microsoft'due south VR system. This is theoretical, and compatibility has not been announced.

HTC likewise showed off the new Vive Wireless Adaptor, a T-shaped device that attaches to the Vive or Vive Pro's caput strap and wirelessly connects the headset to your figurer. Instead of running a long set of cables to a PC, a much shorter length plugs into the adapter, which features an external battery pack that tin can be clipped to a belt or kept in a pocket. Information technology uses Intel's WiGig technology, connecting to a PC in the 60GHz band instead of the more common 2.iv and 5GHz bands. According to HTC, this volition reduce latency and improve performance.

HTC Vive Wireless Adaptor

I tried out the Vive Pro and Vive Wireless Adaptor separately at CES. HTC showed me the aforementioned virtual landscape on a Vive and Vive Pro, and let me compare the experiences. The Vive Pro impressed me with its sharpness, and currently stands every bit the most well-baked VR experience I've tried. I could still see fine pixelation if I looked closely at the brandish rather than what it was showing, but it was still much sharper than the Vive.

I likewise played Doom VFR with a Vive using the Vive Wireless Adaptor. It was responsive and accurate, offer an identical VR experience to the wired Vive. I didn't discover any lag in the film or motion tracking. I too appreciated the ability to move freely without needing to worry about a dragging cable, which remains one of my biggest complaints about high-terminate VR.

The Vive Pro and Vive Wireless Adaptor are extremely promising, and we'll accept a closer look at them later this year when nosotros get them into the lab. HTC hasn't announced pricing or availability for the Vive Pro or Vive Wireless Adaptor, only expects to send the adaptor Q3 2022.