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HTC Vive launched its Vive XR Elite virtual reality and mixed reality headset at CES 2023. I was able to get a very brief demonstration of a working headset at the show. and it showed me that HTC is ready to compete with rivals Meta, Pico and Sony in taking on the next-generation VR consumers.
It’s not a cheap $1,100 device. But like the more expensive $1,500 Meta Quest Pro, the Vive XR Elite (pre-order link here) includes both VR and MR capabilities, with a color RGB camera for passthrough viewing. I think that’s a sign that VR is going to have a very competitive and good year in 2023.
I caught up with Shen Ye, Product Manager and Senior Director at HTC, to talk about the VR headset and the market potential. HTC said the headset is perfect for gaming, fitness, productivity and more. But companies can also opt for this type of device.
Vive XR Elite will see HTC Vive’s biggest lineup of launch titles yet, with 100 new MR and VR content arriving in the launch window – from new games to classics – with more to follow. HTC also continues to move forward with the Metaverse, as the Vive XR Elite makes it easy to dive into the Viverse, which is HTC on the Metaverse. The company wants to see an open, interoperable, and imaginative metaverse.
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Here is an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: Can you give us an overview? How long have you been working on this one?
Shen Ye: It’s something we’ve been working on for a while. It has a lot of technology from Focus 3 and a lot of design from Vive Flow. We have been working iteratively for a long time. It is difficult to identify anything. But we’ve been working on it for a while.
GamesBeat: Where do you think that is?
You: This is our premium consumer XR headset. We don’t want to get into the race to the bottom game. We want to offer something that is not compromised by price. It offers a really solid and good experience. That’s something we’ve done with XR Elite.
GamesBeat: The price is right in the middle between where Meta has priced its headsets. Is there also an attraction for companies?
You: We are currently focusing on the consumer. The HTC Vive Focus 3 is still one of the strongest and most proven headsets for business. But we see that there will likely be enterprise users. We’ll talk more about that later at Vive EC.
GamesBeat: Do you feel like you can jump into the metaverse as well?
You: We also show Viverse here. The metaverse requires strong human interface devices, and I think it does.
GamesBeat: How well built is Viverse where you want it? If this is your entry into the metaverse, what should it have?
You: Viverse will be delivered in stages. We not only have our own projects, but also others with Etisalat and China Mobile. But for XR Elite itself, it’s your home space. There are many social features, but also work and exploration features. This whole experience can also be seamless, whether it’s switching between content, switching between worlds, or even just inviting friends.
GamesBeat: The mixed reality experience feels good. Did you focus on that?
You: For this device, mixed reality was very important. We’ve made a lot of breakthroughs in latency, resolution, colors, and even dynamic range. For this you can take out a phone and see the text on your phone. This in itself requires quite a few breakthroughs in terms of technology.
GamesBeat: When do you think the next generation of consumer software and games will arrive?
You: We show quite a wide variety. Hubris here is the first time it’s been shown on an all-in-one as the XR Elite is an incredibly powerful device. We’re not just looking for new content. We bring classic content. We are also bringing classic content with mixed reality modes. Maestro and even Unplugged are shown here with mixed reality enabled for the first time.
GamesBeat: What is your assessment of the situation of the virtual reality market as a whole?
You: We have experienced solid growth. Where we stand in the market is that we came here with an upgrade without compromise. We believe that with the new mixed reality and convenience, it’s going to bring a new level of immersion to the experience. The developers are also looking to bring that. You can upgrade the hardware and it will upgrade all your experiences, in one go.
GamesBeat: Are you encouraged to see a real ecosystem forming around all of VR?
You: We plan to have better vision tracking in the future. We support controllers and wrist trackers. There’s a lot of flexibility there. We are a very versatile ecosystem. We have a very versatile lineup of content for the launch. We think there are lots of different ways to use it. Here we have more lifestyle apps like fitness and art. We have music apps. We have games. We have PC VR if you have a PC. We have Viverse. We have this wide range of different titles to suit everyone’s needs.
GamesBeat: What do you think about opening up this part of the industry?
You: There is always OpenXR. But there is always more room in terms of collaboration and sharing. There is a lot of room for improvement, like in any industry.
GamesBeat: Developers will still have to make an effort to make their software run on everything.
You: It depends. We make our SDK quite easy to develop. There is going to be resource balancing between platforms for developers. But honestly, a lot of developers got really excited about the hardware. They want to support him outright.
GamesBeat: How many applications are already prepared, did you say?
You: We have around 100 new titles for the launch window. It’s a wide range. I don’t know the exact number in the different categories.
GamesBeat: Are game developers still around? On what scale do they operate?
You: They are still there. But when it comes to scale, it has a wide range of answers according to the developer. There are projects with 80 people and there are projects with two people. That’s still just a massively wide range.
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