Skip to main content

HTC may reveal its China-bound stand-alone VR headset later this month

HTC originally teased a stand-alone headset for virtual reality earlier this year during Google’s developer conference. It will be based on Google’s Daydream platform baked into Android, and Google’s WorldSense technology that provides six degrees of freedom without the need for external sensors. HTC said it was also working directly with Qualcomm to produce a stand-alone VR headset for China without any ties to Google. Now we know more about the latter unit.

Reports have surfaced that HTC will officially reveal its stand-alone VR headset for the Chinese market during its annual Vive Developer Conference in Beijing starting November 14, 2017. This model will be based on Qualcomm’s VRDK developer kit packed with its Snapdragon 835 processor, and its inside-out positional tracking for full-body movement in VR.

Recommended Videos

In addition to the Snapdragon processor, Qualcomm’s developer kit includes a single 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, two built-in monochromatic global shutter cameras (1280 x 800) for motion tracking, two monochromatic VGA global shutter cameras for eye tracking, 4GB of system memory, and 64GB of storage. It also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a Type-C port for charging the battery.

According to Qualcomm, the inside-out motion tracking provides a better experience for mobile VR. While products like Samsung’s Gear VR only track head movement (aka three degrees of freedom), it’s new mobile VR platform also tracks your physical location in the real world (aka six degrees of freedom). And unlike the HTC Vive for PC, there are no external sensors tracking your movement, nor is there a physical tether to a PC. Even more, you don’t need a smartphone.

HTC’s deal with Google to produce a Daydream-based stand-alone VR headset likely relies on the same developer kit, only Google has created its own method for tracking movement called WorldSense. Content will likely be distributed through Viveport and Google Play when the stand-alone unit arrives before the end of 2017. It also won’t be sold in China, hence HTC’s partnership with Qualcomm to produce a version specifically for that market.

That said, the model shown during the conference on November 14 won’t include Google’s Android and Daydream platforms. But there’s still a possibility that HTC will officially reveal its Daydream version in the United States at the same time. It may be marketed as Vive Eclipse or Vive Focus whereas the China-bound model may simply be coined as Vive M, or Vive Mobile.

Virtual reality is about to become a bit more mainstream before the end of the year. As previously reported, both HTC and Lenovo are providing Daydream-based stand-alone models before December’s end. Samsung is supposedly working on a stand-alone unit too while the Oculus Go headset is slated for early 2018. None of these units require a smartphone or external motion-tracking sensors.

Meanwhile, VR headsets designed specifically for Windows 10 are making a splash. Five are now listed on Microsoft’s online store selling for under $500, manufactured by Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. All support the new Windows Mixed Reality platform for virtual reality and augmented reality experiences and applications.

Kevin Parrish
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
Apple’s work-from-home powerhouse is 24% off… and about to go extinct
The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.

Hard-hitting MacBook deals are rare. People love their products and will happily buy them at full price, so sales aren't as incentivized as with other products. So, when we see a $400 savings on the most powerful version (the 24GB of RAM one) of the MacBook Air M3, dropping its price from $1,699 to $1,299, we love it. And that's exactly what's happening as part of this early Prime Day deal and one of the most exciting laptop deals in recent dates. Tap the button below to see it for yourself, or keep reading to get all of the details about the MacBook Air M3, what we discovered when we used it ourself, and why this deal may be the last of its kind.

BUY NOW

Read more
Spotify hit band The Velvet Sundown comes clean on AI
The Velvet Sundown.

The Velvet Sundown burst onto the music scene in early June and in the space of just a few weeks gained an astonishing 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. 

But its bland music style, hyper-realistic band images, and lack of a digital footprint quickly led many people to suspect that the The Velvet Sundown was AI-generated. And it turns out they were right.

Read more
Wimbledon’s robot line judges caught napping on Centre Court
wimbledon

Following in the footsteps of the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, Wimbledon finally did away with human line judges in favor of Hawk-Eye technology at this year's Championships.

All 18 courts have incorporated the system, which uses multiple high‑speed cameras and real‑time computer vision algorithms, with loudspeakers emitting an audible “out” to confirm a missed shot.

Read more