“Now, PC gamers can bring the same high-end headsets used in VR arcades into their homes. We’re taking everything to the next level with built-in eye-tracking, stereo color passthrough cameras for depth-correct Mixed Reality, and even an infra-red sensor for enhanced hand tracking in low-light conditions,” said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC Vive.
What that translates to is a 5K resolution LCD (4896×2448 combined, or 2448×2448 per eye), a 90Hz refresh rate, and up to a 120-degree field of view (FOV). It also features four tracking cameras, two eye-tracking cameras, two 16-megapixel color cameras for stereoscopic full-color passthrough cameras, an array of sensors (G sensor, proximity sensor, depth sensor, infrared floodlight, and gyroscope), and automatic IPD.
A hot-swappable battery provides up to 2 hours of usage, according to HTC, which the company says can be charged up to 50% in 30 minutes with the headset’s included 30W adapter. There’s also a built-in reserve battery that provides up to 20 minutes of extended run time.
Whether gamers will be drawn to HTC’s latest headset remains to be seen, but they’re clearly a target audience.