HTC’s upcoming VR headset, the HTC Vive Flow has just leaked ahead of its launch on October 15th at 2AM AEDT. The new HTC Vive Flow gives users a bug-like appearance with support for VR and AR experiences.
Well-known leaker EV Leaks has shared images of the soon to be released HTC Vive Flow on Twitter, giving the world an inside look at the company’s answer to the Facebook Oculus Quest line of standalone VR headsets.
The Vive Flow design
The first thing that stands out in the images is the design, the Vive Flow looks to use a bug-eye like coloured glass which covers the internals and allows two hand tracking/controller tracking cameras to see what’s going on without making them stick out. The Vive Flow has more of an overside sunglasses look, forgoing the big box on the front of the head design many other VR headsets use.
Looking at the rear and the head strap, they both follow the sunglasses styling with oversized arms, with built-in speakers to keep the headset on your head, without a full 360-degree head strap. On the inside of the headset, there is a vent at the top, a presence detection sensor and six points of adjustments for the spacing between your eyes.
In all the images there seems to be a cable running from the headset, but it doesn’t look like it is plugged into any of the devices being used. This could just be a marketing decision, or the cable is used to deliver power to the Vive Flow using a belt-style battery pack as it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of space for a battery.
Target audience
From the marketing materials we have our hands on it appears that Valve isn’t interested in targeting the VR gaming community, focusing on wellbeing and productivity. The people in the images are all either relaxing, taking in entertainment, doing some sort of yoga, or doing some sort of productivity work. While you will be able to play games on the HTC Vive Flow the company seems to be trying to attract people outside of the VR gaming world with the minimalist design, decent price tag, and the ease of use.
Specs
None of the specs have been listed in the marketing material but we expect it to be in the similar range to the Facebook Oculus Quest 2. Both headsets are budget friendly to those interested in VR. We don’t know if HTC has its own version of Oculus Link to use a PC with it, but we do know that the Vive Flow will pair to your phone via an app, which also allows you to cast your phones display into the headset.
From the looks of things, it seems like there won’t be any hand controllers, focusing on hand tracking thanks to the two cameras on the front of the VR glasses. One of the images also show the user’s phone being used as a pointing device, rather than a controller, so it looks like controllers won’t come in the box. HTC might decide to let you buy a pair after the fact. It is also rumoured that you won’t need to wear glasses as the lenses can be adjusted to suit your level of eyesight.
Price and availability
Taking the information directly from the images, the HTC Vive Flow will come in at US$499 and will be available for pre-order on October 15th via Vive’s website. If you do pre-order the glasses, you will receive the following pre-order gifts:
- 7 free VR contents
- 2-months of Infinit/Vista
- Free Carrying Case
