HTC is reportedly planning a new VR headset that will compete with its Meta Quest. HTC has offered virtual reality headsets for years, but none of them broke through like the Meta Quest 2.
There are certainly some companies that make headsets, but none of them are capable of hitting a price-to-performance goal quite like the Meta Quest 2. HTC might not be able to usurp the Meta Quest 2 with the new headset from HTC, but perhaps they could deliver something that is a little more compelling for VR enthusiasts than the Meta Quest Pro. HTCs new stand-alone VR headset is targeting a similar audience as the Meta Quest Pro and potentially costs over $1,000.
Its blend of VR and AR puts the HTCs headset in the company of Meta’s newly released Quest Pro, as well as an as-yet-unannounced Apple AR/VR device. One of the key features HTC has going for the HTC New Headset, which is hopefully going to help set the new headset apart from the Meta Quest 2, is its emphasis on AR experiences. HTC plans to unveil its new flagship AR/VR headset next month, which will once again establish itself in the consumer virtual reality space.
Apple and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, are expected to launch mixed reality headsets over the coming years, which may finally deliver on industry promises of turning head-mounted devices into the next major breakthrough in personal computing. The year 2023 is going to serve as a critical one for the VR (and, by extension, AR) industry, with the upcoming next-generation headsets from Meta, Pico, and Sony expected to be launched, along with an upcoming headset from Apple expected to deliver mixed reality experiences. HTC is currently splitting its consumer and business devices, but it appears HTC will combine them with this next headset.
If you opt for an HTC Vive, Valve Index, or a Windows Mixed Reality headset, rememb
Go small or go home. pic.twitter.com/PUqqKn4V5E
— HTC VIVE (@htcvive) October 6, 2022
er you also need a capable gaming desktop or VR-ready laptop that can push pixels onto your headsets display. Of the VR headsets in our list, the HTC Vive Pro, Oculus Quest, and Valve Index are all tied for the highest resolution, with a 1,440-by-1,600-pixel resolution for each eye. Fortunately, there are cheap, powerful VR headsets hitting the market, so developers are now creating first-party games and improved ports that make full use of Virtual Reality (VR).
The larger battery seems to sit in a place on the back of the headset, creating a design more similar to Microsofts HoloLens 2, an augmented reality headset, rather than Meta’s existing Oculus VR headset. VR devices such as the HTC Vive Focus 3 (and a proprietary accessory Meta has made to attach a battery to the back of its Quest 2) also place batteries on the back of their Next On Deck. The new headset reportedly offers just a bare-bones two hours of battery life, roughly on par with the Meta Quest 2.
