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HTC Vive Pro announced

CivRab

Member
From Gizmondo

"Vive is taking the next step forward in VR with the new Vive Pro head-mounted display and Vive Wireless Adaptor. The biggest improvement on the new Vive Pro is new AMOED display sporting a combined resolution of 2880 x 1600, which is 78 percent denser than what you get on the current Vive. This should result in a less obtrusive “screen door” effect that’s caused by lower-resolution screens.

Additionally, the Vive Pro will also now feature built-in headphones with their own dedicated amp, dual mics, and a redesigned headstrap for more comfortable marathon VR sessions. Vive is even adding a second front-facing camera to the Pro, so that developers can better integrate AR features into the headsets range of functions."

Link to full article

Pricing and release date will be announced at a later date.
 
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Shifty

Member
Looks like a big jump, but you just know this thing is going to break the goddamn bank.
Intrigued to see how the new high res looks, what hardware will be needed for it, how the new headmount feels, and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL whether they've finally trashed that horrible facepad foam in favour of something sane like leather.

Also, any special reason that your link goes to "HTC Vive Review: A Beautiful Machine With No Good Games" instead of the launch announcement post OP?
 
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Cyto

Member
The first one was already expensive and has a niche market, I don't think many will take the upgrade if it shares the same price point
 

MDSLKTR

Member
Wireless, now we're talking. I feel shackled when I use my psvr compared to the gear vr. Waiting for oculus CV2 specs now and hoping for some price competition.
 

Shifty

Member
The first one was already expensive and has a niche market, I don't think many will take the upgrade if it shares the same price point
From what I've read, this is a response to demands from the enterprise sector and 'hardcore enthusiasts', so I don't think it's trying to make the medium more accessible or affordable.

I think I'll be sticking with my rift and hoping that work buys one.

Wireless, now we're talking. I feel shackled when I use my psvr compared to the gear vr. Waiting for oculus CV2 specs now and hoping for some price competition.
Preach. Really looking forward to being able to do VR without the possibility of tripping, tangling or yanking.
 
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Pretty polarizing day isn't it

HTC make a premium model
Facebook announce Xiaomi will make ocolus branded VR headsets

HTC going after niche market, while Ocolus will sell 10,000s of units in China. PUBG VR mode maybe?
 
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Shifty

Member
Expensive and niche, but I think it was the best, no?
Hands-down the best tracking solution and optics, but the original Vive's controllers, ergonomics and display panel are garbage compared to the competition.

I'd say PSVR takes it for ergonomics (no face-clamping = yes please) and the Rift for controllers and display. The way that thing manages to reduce jaggies through pixel layout alone is super impressive.

PUBG VR mode maybe?
Maybe if they contract an external studio to do a 'mobile version' that's built from the ground up for low-end VR tech.

Unreal 4 may be scalable, but there's not a tech team in the world that could take the current release and make it run playably on a low-end platform.
 
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bee

Member
the HMD only upgrade option will be the 1st option available, sometime in Q1, will be $500 imo
 

Flyinmunky

Member
So will the new Headset come with 2.0 base stations but the old controllers this quarter? Or is there a chance the new knuckle controllers coming soon?
 
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Blam

Member
So will the new Headset come with 2.0 base stations but the old controllers this quarter? Or is there a chance the new knuckle controllers coming soon?
If the new knuckles controllers come I'll buy the entire set instantly.
 

bee

Member
fairly sure this is right, the 1st option as i said above will be the HMD only upgrade for existing owners, the new headset and existing vive wands can both work with 1.0 base stations, the knuckle controllers will only work with 2.0 base stations (can have 4 base stations with up to 10 x 10m area) so i'd expect these to come together further down the line, probably summer with the wireless adapter?
 
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bufkus

Member
Sounds nice, but after barely using my HTC Vive, I think I am going to pass on this until some more compelling software come out. It doesn't help that I suffer from motion sickness easily in VR.
 

JaxBriggs

Member
Sounds awesome but probably quite expensive.

Still though, I love seeing VR moving along with great upgrades like this.
 

J-Rzez

Member
Here's hoping that the screen quality is better with the resolution bump. That was a deal breaker for me with the last units, causing me to return them.
 

Maddrical

Member
This might be the first VR set I get, been waiting for wireless & better resolution. Will wait for the first sale and pick one up I think.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
If it has a wirless option that must mean it has a battery and charging port, right?
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
So the wirless adapter will have its own inbuilt batteries.

Im just gonna wait until 2020 when there will be a wireless 4k headset for a reasonable price.

Im guessing maybe sony will one for the PS5.
And I would not be surprised if Microsoft will do some kind of deal to get high end VR on XBOX 2020.
Facebook will want to get on the console VR market because it will open up there consumer base a lot.
 

Necro900

Member
Love all the tech improvements, but... it's ugly as sin, and that metallic blue only makes it worse. Good thing you don't see it while in use.
 

pj

Banned
So the wirless adapter will have its own inbuilt batteries.

Says who? From the pics I saw, there is a cable going from the wireless unit to a battery that sits in your pocket (same as the TPCast)

You'd be lucky to get 30 minutes of play time with the size of battery that can be crammed inside the htc wireless module along side all the other electronics it contains.
 

j^aws

Member
I'd like to know how long these batteries would last for wireless VR sessions.

If these pocket batteries are inadequate, then how about a battery belt or a mini battery backpack for longer sessions? Reminds me of the early days of mobile phones, where batteries were size of bricks!
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
Says who? From the pics I saw, there is a cable going from the wireless unit to a battery that sits in your pocket (same as the TPCast)

You'd be lucky to get 30 minutes of play time with the size of battery that can be crammed inside the htc wireless module along side all the other electronics it contains.

The battery pack is still part of the wireless adapter, I never said it was a battery inside the main unit.
The battery could be up your butt for all I know, but if its going to be wireless its going to need juice from somewhere.
 
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pj

Banned
I'd like to know how long these batteries would last for wireless VR sessions.

If these pocket batteries are inadequate, then how about a battery belt or a mini battery backpack for longer sessions? Reminds me of the early days of mobile phones, where batteries were size of bricks!

For the TPCast, which has been out for a while, you get 4-6 hours on the included 20,000 mah battery. It's pretty large but isn't bothersome if you put it in your pocket or on the included belt.
 

wondermega

Member
Interesting to see where the scene is going. I've no interest in picking up this kind of update (current model more than suits my needs, plus I'm sure this setup will be far from cheap) but I'm glad that things are improving. I'll see what it looks like and consider an upgrade in another year or two I suppose.. However if PSVR v2 is a substantial improvement, I might go that way as well, time will tell.
 

BrettWeir

Member
Love all the tech improvements, but... it's ugly as sin, and that metallic blue only makes it worse. Good thing you don't see it while in use.

In all honesty, who the hell cares how it looks on you? You're in your own place.....playing VR. Not walking around or trying to pick up people.........

As an early adopter, I'm all over this. Don't give a damn what it looks like.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
In all honesty, who the hell cares how it looks on you? You're in your own place.....playing VR. Not walking around or trying to pick up people.........

As an early adopter, I'm all over this. Don't give a damn what it looks like.
I know right, it dont matter hiw it looks.

But I personally think it looks better then the original, its less bulky and looks good quality.
 
Then just buy the normal vive and the wireless module when it comes.

I'll end up just waiting for the new one to be available, as I'd want to get the (slightly) higher resolution and the supposed better (and built in) sound. I've been waiting this long on the fence, a little longer won't matter.
 
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keraj37

Member
Lest do some math here:

2880 x 1600 equals +78% denser according to marketing team at HTC.
Current resolution is 1280 x 1024.

1280 x 1024 equals 1310720 pixels.
2880 x 1600 equals 4608000 pixels.

4608000 / 1310720 results that increase of density is +251%. So...

Why they are lowering the improved results so much? Ah wait, yes - the resolution they gave is hidden real resolution multiplied by number of eyes (usually 2, not more no less).
Why would anyone care about resolution that is sum of each eye while it doesn't matter for viewer at all, as viewer will experience resolution per each eye and not a sum.

Marketing tricks.

Beside that that +78% will be hardly noticeable improvement as some might think that will increase edges by 78%, which is not true - the real increase is ~8.8% (you need to square root the number 78).

So really the improvement is 8.8% in resolution which is the biggest issue with current VR gen.

If anyone is jumping into VR in the moment when Vive PRO is available, then yes - grab it - for me with my Rift CV1 - there is not really a reason.

But it is good sign, that corporations are pushing that tech forward.
 
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Why they are lowering the improved results so much? Ah wait, yes - the resolution they gave is hidden real resolution multiplied by number of eyes (usually 2, not more no less).
Why would anyone care about resolution that is sum of each eye while it doesn't matter for viewer at all, as viewer will experience resolution per each eye and not a sum.

Marketing tricks.

Beside that that +78% will be hardly noticeable improvement as some might think that will increase edges by 78%, which is not true - the real increase is ~8.8% (you need to square root the number 78).

So really the improvement is 8.8% in resolution which is the biggest issue with current VR gen.

If anyone is jumping into VR in the moment when Vive PRO is available, then yes - grab it - for me with my Rift CV1 - there is not really a reason.

But it is good sign, that corporations are pushing that tech forward.

Agreed. That's why contrary to what the marketers say, I feel that it is only a slight improvement. Since I hadn't jumped in yet, and REALLY wanted wireless, I'm going to likely jump in when it comes out.

Well, that still depends on the pricing too. It will be interesting to see what kind of premium they are going to be asking for.
 

abracadaver

Member
Lest do some math here:

2880 x 1600 equals +78% denser according to marketing team at HTC.
Current resolution is 1280 x 1024.

1280 x 1024 equals 1310720 pixels.
2880 x 1600 equals 4608000 pixels.

4608000 / 1310720 results that increase of density is +251%. So...

Current resolution is 2160x1200...
 

abracadaver

Member
Sorry, I thought Vive has same resolution as Rift, but... the result is not really better as 1080 x 1200 equals 1296000 pixels versus 1310720 for Rift so practically the same.

They both have the same resolution. You just somehow mixed up full resolution and resolution per eye. I'm still not sure what you are trying to prove as the 78% increase for the pro is correct
 

keraj37

Member
They both have the same resolution. You just somehow mixed up full resolution and resolution per eye. I'm still not sure what you are trying to prove as the 78% increase for the pro is correct

Apart from wrong resolutions I believed Rift and Vive have, +78% is correct, yes, but for pixel density which is misleading as the real experience for viewer is square root of 78 which is 8.8%.
That is because image has 2 dimensions.
 

GamingArena

Member
Apart from wrong resolutions I believed Rift and Vive have, +78% is correct, yes, but for pixel density which is misleading as the real experience for viewer is square root of 78 which is 8.8%.
That is because image has 2 dimensions.

You are wrong Vive PRo has 37% more pixel density over Original Vive, 615 ppi vs 447 ppi
 

Shifty

Member
You are wrong Vive PRo has 37% more pixel density over Original Vive, 615 ppi vs 447 ppi
Oh boy, another metric to confuse matters further.

Pixels per inch doesn't map linearly to total pixel count, which doesn't map to effective resolution increase taking into account two dimensions, which doesn't map to pixels-per-degree which is the actual 'practical experience' metric but depends on display distance, optics, and a bunch of other stuff.

All of this is meaningless.
 

GamingArena

Member
Oh boy, another metric to confuse matters further.

Pixels per inch doesn't map linearly to total pixel count, which doesn't map to effective resolution increase taking into account two dimensions, which doesn't map to pixels-per-degree which is the actual 'practical experience' metric but depends on display distance, optics, and a bunch of other stuff.

All of this is meaningless.

well any way you look at it the Vive Pro has 615 pixels per square inch while original Vive has only 447 pixels and that is exactly 37% more pixels per square inch in density...
 
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