The age of pure VR is over. Extended or Cross Reality (XR) is the future. I know. This is given that VR has not seen widespread adoptions like, say, the PC. VR, IMHO, is more in the league of consoles. You know. Where only those who are into it will want one. Anyways, as far as XR goes, it merges virtual reality with augmented reality to create mixed reality, an immersive computer-generated environment that combines both the physical and the virtual environment.
The Meta Quest Pro is one such device that offers XR and the latest to join the XR game is HTC VIVE XR Elite. The HTC VIVE XR Elite boasts both VR and MR capabilities, with a full-color RGB camera for passthrough. It will offer a wide range of new content with 100 XR experiences arriving on VIVEPORT in the launch window. However, unlike Meta Quest Pro, which is marketed for professional use, the HTC VIVE XR Elite is good for gaming, fitness, and more – in addition to productivity.
The XR headset further touts hand-tracking which, together with the passthrough camera, opens up a whole new dimension of MR scenarios, such as playing games where the characters are running on your real-life furniture, having real-time overlays of musical instruments like a piano so you can learn, or even having a workstation with multiple virtual screens while using your real-world keyboard and mouse.
The new HTC VIVE XR Elite can be connected to a PC via USB-C to access PCVR content offered on VIVEPORT and Steam and it also supports wireless PC streaming over Wi-Fi or the latest generation – Wi-Fi 6E. Users can also stream content wirelessly from a compatible Android phone too. Of course, you could use it to watch TV shows and movies, and play games – viewing the images in glorious 300-inch (!). If do play games, you can connect a Bluetooth controller to your phone for a full gaming experience.
The HTC VIVE XR Elite was unveiled at CES 2023 and it is now available for pre-order for US$1,099, with delivery expected to begin in late February.
All images courtesy of VIVE.
