Future of VR Can Be Seen In The HTC Vive XR Elite

The HTC Vive XR Elite is a standalone headset with its own board computer system, much as the Quest series of headsets from Meta, except it costs $1,099 and will be available in early 2023. According to HTC's published specifications, the Quest 2's system-on-a-chip is a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, not the Quest Pro's XR2+. At CES 2023, HTC's launch of the Vive XR Elite headset wowed the VR community. Although HTC's innovative ideas provide a tantalizing peek of how VR can eventually resolve its remaining issues, it is not priced to compete with inexpensive headsets. Despite this, two devices using the same hardware can nonetheless perform differently due to different power or cooling objectives. The Vive XR Elite delivers a horizontal field of view of up to 110 degrees and 1920 x 1920 pixels per eye at 90 Hz. On paper, the XR Elite doesn't appear all that amazing; it just seems like another expensive standalone headset similar to the Quest Pro. The little nuances in this headset's design and method of approaching VR, rather than its technical features, are what make it interesting. It's also important to note that the headset works with various head strap designs that are simple to switch out. For mixed reality or less demanding VR applications, there is a system that functions like standard glasses and a secure headband that you would want to wear when playing VR games. The Vive XR Elite is a great step in the right direction in this regard, even though we'd like to see even flatter and smaller headsets in the future. [caption id="attachment_81622" align="alignright" width="1294"] vive[/caption] VR Headsets That Eliminate the Need for Glasses While using VR, many of us use glasses, and no headset has found a suitable solution to this problem yet. For some headsets, you can have prescription lenses manufactured, or you can wear them over your regular spectacles by using a glasses spacer. In either case, persons with imperfect vision require particular care. Also Read: Review of the Sony XR X90K: an inexpensive 4K TV  Because HTC decided to incorporate diopter adjustment into the headset, the XR Elite is able to be smaller. There will still be users who require modification outside of the range, but we anticipate that the vast majority of people who require glasses fall into the supported range. This means that you can modify the strength of correction, at least within a particular range. Changing Batteries Because the Quest 2 and Quest Pro's batteries cannot be removed, you might need to use external power packs for longer sessions. The XR Elite includes a hot-swappable battery technology that effectively extends your untethered VR sessions to however many batteries you have because HTC has taken note of this problem. Photo Credit: Digital Trends Adaptive Design The XR Elite is a modular system thanks to HTC. Thus, the functionality of the headgear may be upgraded or changed by subsequent modules. The only modules made public so far are add-ons for gaze and face tracking. Even so, it wouldn't be unexpected to see the company create other intriguing upgrades for headset customers. Growing Hotter The Oculus Rift in 2016 was a breath of new air, demonstrating to the world that VR could be useful, cozy, and even transportable. While bringing considerable advances over headgear from the late 2010s, XR headsets, which integrate VR and mixed reality (MR) technologies, are now firmly in the "mobile" category of gadgets.