HTC launches Vive Pro and wireless upgrade kit, will support SteamVR 2.0 tracking system

According to Leifeng.com, HTC Vive held a product launch conference at 5:00 am on January 9th, Beijing time. Daniel O'Brien, General Manager of the US region, announced the launch of Vive Pro. In addition to a significant increase in resolution, the new version will be compatible with the SteamVR 2.0 tracking system. In addition, HTC also announced the launch of the Vive Wireless Adaptor, which uses Intel WiGig wireless technology.

Leifeng.com found that, as HTC had announced before the launch, the focus was on improving resolution. O'Brien said that through their research, they found that 89% of users care about the resolution of VR headsets. The newly launched Vive Pro is equipped with dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays, with a binocular resolution of 2880 x 1600, which is 78% higher than Vive.

At the same time, Leifeng.com learned that the Vive Pro version of the headset uses the SteamVR 2.0 tracking and positioning system, which will also be compatible with the previous Vive. The new tracking system expands the tracking range from the original 4.5x4.5 meters to 10x10 meters.

For Vive Pro, they also redesigned its headband, integrating high-performance headphones and a built-in amplifier, equipped with dual microphones with active noise reduction and two front cameras, and based on ergonomic design, balanced the weight distribution of the headset.

O'Brien said that Vive Pro will be aimed at high-end players and enterprise-level users. The Vive Pro headset (excluding controllers and base stations) will be launched later this year, and then controllers and base stations supporting SteamVR version 2.0 will be launched together.

Vive Wireless Adapter

In addition to the headset, HTC has also upgraded the wireless kit. The Vive Wireless Upgrade Kit will be compatible with both Vive and Vive Pro. It uses Intel WiGig technology and works in the interference-free 60GHz frequency band to achieve lower latency and higher performance. The Vive Wireless Upgrade Kit is scheduled to be available worldwide in the third quarter of this year.

In terms of content, Viveport has also been upgraded. Based on the VR-First design concept, Viveport VR launched the "VR Preview" function to replace the traditional two-dimensional preview method, allowing users to preview VR content in an immersive VR format before purchasing the content, and even interact with it. Earlier this year, Viveport launched the world's first VR content membership service. Now Viveport has more than 1,000 exciting content worldwide, and more than 300 content has been included in the membership service.

In addition, a new version of Vive Video, the Vive native VR video player, is also released. Vive Video can play 180˚ and 360˚ video content. With the newly designed Vive Video application, users can search and obtain VR video content more conveniently. Vive Video is already available on the Vive platform and will be pre-installed in the upcoming VIVE FOCUS all-in-one machine.

At the site, the Vive booth displayed a variety of VR content optimized for the Vive Professional Edition, and for the first time demonstrated multiplayer experience content developed based on the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster "Ready Player One".