CES 2023: HTC announces its VIVE XR Elite VR headset
HTC has unveiled a new VR headset, VIVE XR Elite, giving the world a glimpse at its latest endeavor at CES 2023. It's a "lightweight and powerful" device offering a 90Hz display, quad cameras for motion tracking, a 16MP camera for color passthrough, a Snapdragon XR2 processor, 12GB/128GB configuration, and around 16 hours of usage. It is priced at $1,099 (nearly Rs. 90,400).
Why does this story matter?
Following the teasers, HTC has officially announced the VIVE XR Elite, a "consumer-friendly device," according to the brand. In terms of capabilities, the headset will take on the Meta Quest Pro. HTC boasts that the VIVE XR Elite can "combine Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) capabilities into one compact, lightweight, powerful, and highly versatile device." This certainly seems like a lofty description.
VIVE XR Elite offers a 90Hz display
The VIVE XR Elite resembles the VIVE FLOW, with its slick design and silhouette of a pair of sunglasses. On the exterior, it equips cameras on the front and sides. The stand-alone unit has a display with a 1920x3840 pixels resolution, 1920x1920 pixels-per-eye, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. With the headset, you also get two controller grips featuring hall and capacitive sensors.
It gets 16MP camera for color passthrough mode
The VIVE XR Elite is offered with a quad camera arrangement that tracks motion using six degrees of freedom (DoF) inside-out tracking. It is also equipped with a 16MP camera for the color passthrough mode.
It houses a battery that lasts 16 hours per charge
The VIVE XR Elite is backed by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 processor, which comes paired with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It draws power from a 26.6Wh removable/hot-swappable battery, which is housed on the rear of the headband. The battery can be refueled using a Type-C port. Once fully charged, it can deliver up to 16 hours of usage.
The headset is up for pre-booking at $1,099
Last year, the interest in AR/VR was only moderately sparked. Despite this, HTC managed to deliver several headsets and provide updates for its products. While the brand has re-entered the VR market with the VIVE XR Elite, which is now available for pre-order at $1,099 (nearly Rs. 90,400), it is still uncertain if the headset will be able to capture consumers' attention this year.