HTC VIVE Takes Business and Consumer VR to the Next Level with Two New VR Headsets and a Dedicated Suite of Professional Tools

BEIJING, May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC VIVE, the global leader in premium virtual reality (VR), sets a new benchmark for business and consumer VR, bringing 5K resolution and a 120-degree field of view as standard to the two new VR headsets announced today at the 2021 VIVE Virtual Ecosystem Conference (V²EC 2021).

VIVE FOCUS 3 redefines All-in-One VR with no compromises while VIVE PRO 2 pushes the boundaries of PC VR for incredible gaming, designing, and experiences. HTC also announced VIVE BUSINESS, its comprehensive range of tools designed to support businesses of any size to get the most out of VR.

"In line with our mission, we've combined the very latest technology with the needs and aspirations of our customers, enabling them to unleash their imagination to improve people's lives and solve problems for business and society," said Cher Wang, HTC Chairwoman and CEO, in the welcome speech for the conference. "Today's launch marks a major milestone in our strategy to create the very best immersive experiences. We have listened to our customers, from well-known global companies to smaller firms and professional users, and have designed these premium headsets from the ground up to meet the challenges they face, adding a professional range of software, platform and services to make implementation as smooth and effective as possible。"

HTC China President Alvin Graylin Wang stated that, "VR is a technology that has the potential to fundamentally transform our lives, and 2021 will be the year people look back on as the year it really started to take off. The products and services we announced today are the key catalyst that will ignite the VR revolution by setting a new standard for what quality VR should be. Having a single device that can be used standalone, connect with a PC or 5G Cloud VR network, can be comfortably worn for many hours, while delivering a new level of clarity that not only can take you to another world but can also replace your daily monitor, will lead to accelerated adoption of VR in the near future."

This HTC Vive Virtual Ecosystem Conference was held in VIVE SESSIONS, a virtual meeting platform provided in HTC's VIVE XR SUITE. Together with HTC's global virtual conference VIVECON, they have attracted more than 50,000 users registered for live interactive participation. The first V²EC last March was one of the world's first large-scale industrial virtual conferences and this year have elevated all aspects of the event to a new level with over 10x attendance and 3x the content. 

At this year's event, HTC China also unveiled its new virtual human character, VEE, to demonstrate the application of cutting-edge avatar and tracking technology in a Metaverse use case.

Continuous product innovation to enhance productivity

Since the launch of its first VR product in 2016, HTC Vive has provided a strong hardware lineup for enterprise users and consumers to truly feel the potential of XR as the next-generation computing platform. At V²EC 2021, HTC Vive didn't disappoint with a range of newly launched hardware products.

VIVE Focus 3 – A New Era for VR

The new VIVE Focus 3 is the ultimate solution for standalone VR, combining outstanding visuals with a smarter ergonomic design, superior audio and next level inside-out tracking and controllers. VIVE Focus 3 will be on-the-shelf in China in late June, for RMB￥9888 (includes 24 month VIVE Business Warranty and Services).

VIVE Focus 3 is powered by the premium-quality Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ XR2 Platform which unlocks staggering performance improvements including twice the CPU and GPU performance and 11x the AI processing compared to its predecessor^[1] which powers the original VIVE Focus.

The VIVE Focus 3 has delivered class-leading specs in a standalone device, with a combined 5K resolution, a smooth 90Hz refresh rate and an ultra-wide 120-degree field of view, for exceptional immersion. The new visuals mean fine details like text and overall fidelity are dramatically clearer, allowing for the potential to work, learn and browse comfortably in VR and replace existing monitors. At the conference, the VIVE Focus 3 was shown to deliver a high-definition personal virtual workspace supporting a physical keyboard and mouse via a custom version of vSpatial.

VIVE Focus 3 delivers industry-leading comfort, with a new strap design, balanced front-back weight distribution, and an intelligently designed curved swappable battery pack. VIVE Focus 3's battery pack can be changed in seconds, allowing you to keep going for a non-stop day. Its quick-charge feature can give users 50% battery from just 30 minutes of charging, and an external L.E.D indicator lets you know how much power you have left.

Durable and lightweight, the magnesium alloy frame of VIVE Focus 3 is 20% lighter and 500% stronger than traditional plastics. VIVE Focus 3 has a wide range and fine-adjustable Inter-Pupillary Distance (IPD) range, as well as a quick-release head-strap button and magnetic front and rear face gaskets - so it's quick and effortless to swap in replacements or clean them – which is especially important for multi-user scenarios.

When additional processing power is needed, the newly announced VIVE Business Streaming function will support connecting the VIVE Focus 3 to a VR-Ready PC to access all existing PC-VR content. The certified Vive Streaming Cable will be available for RMB￥699 when the VIVE Focus 3 ships and the wireless streaming function is expected to arrive soon.

VIVE Focus 3 has new open-back speakers featuring a pair of dual drivers, delivering immersive and true-to-life audio. For peace of mind in VR meetings, a special audio privacy setting dramatically reduces the risk of being overheard by people nearby.

VIVE Focus 3 uses a proprietary AI-powered inside-out tracking algorithm for precise tracking, with privacy at the forefront as all tracking data is stored in an encrypted format on the headset. The redesigned controllers are easy and intuitive to use - one of the lightest 6dof controllers on the market and it still lasts for 15 hours on a single charge. Hand tracking support will be released in the near future.

To reward customers that purchase the VIVE Focus 3 in Q2, HTC will plan to bundle a three-month free license of the entire VIVE XR Suite (RMB￥400 value) and a six-month free license of VIVE Sync (RMB￥1500 value).

VIVE Pro 2 – Sharp, Precise, Immersive

The VIVE Pro 2 takes PC VR to the next level, when every pixel and polygon counts, for high-end gaming or creating the impossible. VIVE Pro 2 in the headset-only version will be on-the-shelf in China for RMB￥6888.

A stunning 5K resolution display delivers 2.5K to each eye, coupled with a beautifully fluid 120 Hz refresh rate, and a fast-switching panel with real RGB sub-pixels, for crystal clear and super smooth animations. The field of view increases to 120 degrees thanks to VIVE Pro 2's new bespoke dual stacked-lens design. These advances mean minimal motion blur and the screen-door effect often seen in other devices is virtually eliminated, giving people a more natural and immersive experience.

HTC VIVE also worked closely with NVIDIA and AMD to utilize Display Stream Compression for the first time in a VR headset. Display Stream Compression ensures maximum visual quality and is also backwards compatible with DisplayPort 1.2, so even graphics cards that supported VIVE Pro will see a benefit with VIVE Pro 2.

VIVE Pro 2 has fine-adjustable inter-pupillary distance (IPD), evenly distributed weight balance, adjustable head strap, and a quick-adjustable sizing dial. Perfect for finding your personal preferences, and also sharing the experience with others. VIVE Pro 2 has 3D spatial sound with Hi-Res Audio Certified headphones and supports third-party headphones.

All VIVE SteamVR ecosystem accessories will work with VIVE Pro 2 – VIVE Trackers of any generation, the new VIVE Facial Tracker, and more. VIVE Pro 2 will slot into an existing SteamVR setup – whether it's Base Station 1.0 or Base Station 2.0, VIVE Wireless Adapter, VIVE controllers, or even controllers and gloves like Valve's Index 'knuckles' controllers.

For customers that need eye-tracking capabilities in their VR devices, VIVE X portfolio company, 7Invensun will be shipping its Droolon F2 eye-tracking accessory for both the Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 in Q3.

All VIVE Pro 2 customers will have the chance to receive the VIVE XR Suite 3-month free license (RMB￥400 value).

VIVE BUSINESS – Bring everything to VR work

VIVE Business is a complete suite of software and services, supporting the needs of businesses looking to get the best out of XR. No matter your organization's size, VIVE Business is scalable and secure, making life easier for deployment, maintenance, remote support, training needs, and much more.

Building on the success of the consumer VIVEPORT store, the VIVE Business App Store is a curated collection of apps and tools, covering six areas include remote collaboration, therapy & rehabilitation, training, design & marketing visualization, learning & education, location-based experiences. It's simple to pick an app off-the-shelf, or even get in touch with the creator to tailor it for specific needs.

To further enrich the content and attract more developers to join the ecosystem, HTC VIVE has launched a new developer partnership program, Vive Independent Software Vendor (ISV) program beta version. Developers who join the ISV program can get additional support from HTC Vive to help develop better solutions. By doing so, HTC can provide enterprises with reliable developer partners and tailor-made VR solutions. At present, more than 50 partners worldwide have signed the plan. Developers can visit https://business.vive.com/isv for more details.

The VIVE Business Device Management System is a simple and intuitive MDM and is ISO certified, allowing IT to quickly and easily see the status of each VIVE Focus 3 on the network, remotely install new business apps, update software, and more. VIVE Focus 3 is designed to work with Android Enterprise MDM, so it can also slot into pre-existing MDM solutions already active in your environment.

VIVE Business Training is perfect to support training sessions of any size. The training leader can observe the progress of each trainee, via an Android device, highlighting the next steps needed and talking the trainee through it, even in a class size of hundreds.

Vive gives control back to businesses. Organizations can choose to take up VIVE Business services, or they can simply pay a one-off cost for VIVE Focus 3 and integrate it into their existing setup, with no recurring fees and the ability to use their hardware as they choose to.

Deepening the layout of XR with partnerships in multiple fields

The HTC Vive Virtual Ecosystem Conference not only released the top-level hardware in the VR industry, but also showed the entire industry its all-around development in multiple fields. Close cooperation with partners such as Qualcomm, AMD, Nvidia, etc., has maximized the release of the possibility of VR products at the hardware level. HTC Vive's in-depth partnership with leading companies such as CMCC, HP and V&A museum also demonstrates the remarkable result of HTC VIVE's strategy of taking both software and hardware into consideration.

"Since we launched VIVE in 2016, we've continuously worked to create a healthy VR ecosystem. We are so glad to see so many strong companies join us to announce partnerships and offerings to strengthen the industry," said Alvin Wang Graylin, HTC China President. "Our expanding coop with HP will help make XR Suite more accessible to companies of all sizes, Qualcomm continues to be a strong partner as we grow the XR industry together, CMCC's work will help make mobile VR more standardized, and the many ISV partners in the Vive Business App Store will all help solve our customers business problems more efficiently than ever before."

In order to attract more entrepreneurs, investors and partners to build the XR ecosystem together, VIVE X Accelerator will join the Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance (VRVCA) to host a Virtual Roadshow. In this roadshow, participants will have the opportunity to connect with the best XR startups around the world and key leads & partners from top VSs and funds. Qualified startups can apply for a spot to pitch at: http://vivexshenzhen.mikecrm.com/lxUCvwo

Virtual idol debut, to endorse the XR world

"XR has redefined many scenarios in the post-digital era, and the rich media experience brought to users by XR technology is particularly interesting," mentioned Chen Wu, managing director of "The Economist Business Review", in the dialogue session of the conference. In recent years, new content formats such as XR production and XR live entertainment have enabled more users to intuitively feel the charm of the XR world. The virtual idol that combines XR's cutting-edge technology and the interactive form of social media has also become a shining star in the XR ecosystem.

At this conference, HTC Vive also unveiled its virtual human character, Vee, who was animated using VIVE Tracker motion capture, face tracking and other XR technologies. According to her backstory, Vee is a virtual space traveler who comes from the future VIVE Reality. In an accident, she teleported back into the current day virtual world. Vee, who has witnessed the future "metaverse", is determined to stay in the present and help us build a more complete virtual world to improve all people's lives.

"I'm quite excited about today's unveiling of Vive's own virtual character, Vee.  She was fully developed by the Vive China team and her character is intended to represent the raw energy of a new generation of users whose lives will become as intertwined with XR devices in the near future, as we are with mobile devices today," said Alvin Wang Graylin, "We look forward to sharing more about her with everyone in future virtual activities"

As Ms. Xiaoya Chen, Executive Vice President of CIUR and Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology, said at the conference, "In the era of the smart economy, all the industries are striving to achieve intelligence." At V2EC 2021, a seamless commercial solution integrating software and hardware products and services has been newly implemented. It will extend the XR technology to more application fields and bring changes to more industries.

About HTC

HTC VIVE is the premier virtual reality (VR) platform and ecosystem that creates true-to-life VR experiences for businesses and consumers. The VIVE ecosystem is built around premium VR hardware, software, and content. The VIVE business encompasses best-in-class XR hardware; VIVEPORT platform and app store; VIVE Enterprise Solutions for business customers; VIVE X, a US$100M VR business accelerator; and VIVE ARTS for cultural initiatives. For more information, please visit www.vive.com.

SOURCE HTC VIVE

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