Following a CES 2019 teaser, HTC has revealed the Vive Cosmos, the company’s most current Computer-powered VR headset. It is very the step away from the HTC Vive and VIve Pro, supplying an knowledge akin to that of the common Oculus Rift S – while at almost double the price tag.
We’ve got all the things you need to have to know about the Vive Cosmos ideal right here, which includes the release date, pricing specifics and all the new options on give.
When will the Vive Cosmos be released?
Even though the Vive Cosmos was initially revealed back at CES 2019 in January, it wasn’t till September 2019 that the firm announced release date specifics for the upcoming headset. The Vive Cosmos is due to be released on three October 2019 in the UK, Europe and US.
How a lot will the Vive Cosmos expense?
The Vive ecosystem is not precisely renowned for getting price range-friendly – if something, it is the opposite – and that theme appears to continue with the Vive Cosmos. The headset is set to retail for £699/$699, which is admittedly less expensive than the initially-gen HTC Vive when that was released in 2016, but it is virtually double the expense of the upgraded Oculus Rift S. It is also competing with HTC’s pro-level Vive Pro headset, presently retailing for about £749 in the UK, while you never get trackers or controllers at that price tag (extremely).
These interested in acquiring the Vive Cosmos can do so through the Vive site, with pre-orders due to kick off these days, 12 September 2019. We’re confident that other retailers will stock the headset closer to launch, so verify back quickly for much more acquiring choices and offers.
What does the Vive Cosmos give?
So, what is the Vive Cosmos and why is it diverse from the HTC Vive? The headset is described as supplying an “easy setup” and will present “absolute comfort” each at house and on-the-go.
How does HTC program to give this?
It is basic a lot like the Oculus Rift S, the Vive Cosmos and accompanying handheld controllers do not need external sensors for 6DOF tracking. As properly as giving a speedy setup, the inside-out tracking need to make it accessible to much more people today – not just devoted VR gamers who do not thoughts installing wall-mounted base stations.
The Vive Cosmos will connect to Computer initially, but HTC has recommended that you could be in a position to hyperlink the Cosmos with a smartphone in future. This was additional reinforced by a pre-release teaser video that shows the headset subsequent to a smartphone and the accompanying press release, which states that the Cosmos will have “the capability to be powered by much more than a standard gaming PC”. Interestingly, this wasn’t pointed out anyplace in the official press release, so we’ve reached out to HTC for clarification.
The show is an additional region that has had a critical upgrade when compared to the typical HTC Vive. The Vive Cosmos options a 2880 x 1700 combined resolution across two LCD panels, which is an 88 % increase compared to the original Vive, giving crisp graphics and conveniently-readable text – 1 of the large difficulties with early VR headsets. Vive also claims that there is significantly less distance involving the pixels, minimizing SDE, but that is some thing we’ll confirm for ourselves after we go eyes-on.
The Vive Cosmos also boasts a generally improved headset style, which includes options like a flip-up HMD that lets you see the genuine planet devoid of obtaining to eliminate the headset, and the handheld controllers have had an upgrade also. Gone is the fiddly touchpad, replaced by a joystick and accompanying buttons that appear a small much more like Oculus’ Touch controllers.
The Vive Cosmos also supports modular upgrades which Vive claims need to preserve the headset compatible for years to come. The initially of these mods is the Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod, due in Q1 2020, which enables Vive customers to use their current base stations with the headset – while that does not give us a lot self-confidence in the inside-out tracking that the Cosmos presents.
“Since Vive started our VR journey, we’ve continued to refine and enhance on what a premium VR knowledge can and need to be,” mentioned Graham Wheeler, GM Vive Europe. “Cosmos presents an unmatched knowledge and is also our most versatile headset yet—with, inside-out tracking, choices in the future for diverse faceplates, limitless content material in the box, and the new user interface, we see limitless possibilities for XR consumers.”
Vive Cosmos Specs
- Resolution: 1440 x 1700 pixels per eye (2880 x 1700 pixels combined)
- Screen: Dual three.four” LCD diagonal
- Refresh price: 90Hz
- Field of view: 110-degrees
- Audio: Constructed-in stereo headphones
- Essential Computer connectivity: USB three., DisplayPort™ 1.two
- Peripheral Ports: USB-C three., proprietary connection to mods
- Tracking: no minimum space needs for standing/seated, minimum 2m x 1.5m for area-scale mode
- Module Faceplates: Vive Motion Mod (Ships with Cosmos) and Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod (Coming Q1 2020)
- Vive Wireless Adapter help: Yes, sold separately with attach kit. Accessible PCIe slot necessary.