HTC Kicks off VIVE PRO and Wireless VIVE at CES

As soon as the full kit is available I’ll be buying my first VR setup. Now to look into the vision correction side of this. I wear glasses. :geek:
I wear reading glasses but find I like VR better without the glasses and see just fine.
 
I found this are searching a bit.

https://vr-lens-lab.com/product/lens-inserts/

I’m sure they’ll make a version for the Pro if the current Vive design isn’t compatible.

I've got those for both my Rift and Vive. Work well, will buy again for the current styles at least. Just be sure to ask for a copy of your Rx when you get your eyes checked.

Note I have REALLY bad astigmatism in one eye. I can adjust the settings on the headsets so the other eye is fine as it's a simple magnification Rx on it. People with just reading glasses or are otherwise farsighted should be able to wear without.

I CAN wear my glasses with them, just prefer not to as they seem to fog a bit easier and tend to stay with the headset instead of my face when I take it off.
 
I’m nearsighted. Glasses are my HD filter for the world.

I'd think it would work just fine for you then, the Vive headset sits really close to your eyes. You wouldn't need your glasses to see distance since the screens are basically only an inch away.
 
I'd think it would work just fine for you then, the Vive headset sits really close to your eyes. You wouldn't need your glasses to see distance since the screens are basically only an inch away.

I hope so. I’ll find out when I can test drive one or I get my hands on a full Pro kit. It’s gonna be a while but I’m still excited. :woot:
 
Well, I'm in. Should be a pretty nice upgrade to the current Vive. Hopefully they price it reasonably... say $499 for just the headset for those of us that don't need to buy the controllers or the lighthouses. When the Rift 2.0 finally rolls out, I'll most likely be upgrading then again as well... Will be interesting to see how the specs continue to evolve.
 
I'd think it would work just fine for you then, the Vive headset sits really close to your eyes. You wouldn't need your glasses to see distance since the screens are basically only an inch away.
You'd think that but it doesn't seem to work like that. I am nearsighted also but I need glasses in the vive or just like in the real world I can't read text unless I move close to it and distant objects seem blurrier in the virtual world as in the real world. Being far sighted is actually better for VR IMHO, you can see stuff in the distance without it blurring. It's really counter intuitive, when I was planning to buy my Vive I was thinking being near sighted was going to be useful because the lenses are so close to your eyes it would suck to be far sighted, but I was completely wrong, it works pretty much just like the real world. If you can't read text that isn't 4 inches from your face in real life or distant objects seem blurry at a distance without your glasses, the same applies in VR (at least for me).
 
The 'Pro' trend (like the Xbox one X, PS4 Pro etc.) is kinda annoying , this is not a Gen. 2 device that deprecates the old but an improved Gen 1 with a massive price hike
I think companies are onto a new marketing scheme here

kinda of annoying , i wanted VR in 2018 expected we`ll see a proper Gen. 2 with a decent price.
 
You'd think that but it doesn't seem to work like that. I am nearsighted also but I need glasses in the vive or just like in the real world I can't read text unless I move close to it and distant objects seem blurrier in the virtual world as in the real world. Being far sighted is actually better for VR IMHO, you can see stuff in the distance without it blurring. It's really counter intuitive, when I was planning to buy my Vive I was thinking being near sighted was going to be useful because the lenses are so close to your eyes it would suck to be far sighted, but I was completely wrong, it works pretty much just like the real world. If you can't read text that isn't 4 inches from your face in real life or distant objects seem blurry at a distance without your glasses, the same applies in VR (at least for me).

Yeah, I guess the lenses built in the vive are setting the focal length somewhere, still thought with it right there you couldn't be too far away. This is now the second time I wish I still needed glasses so I could check it out myself (the first being when I got dirt in my eye, I was used to just always having eye protection on).

There was an article written about a year back saying a guy who was nearly blind due to his nearsightedness could use the vive, but perhaps for him, seeing anything might of been amazing.

edit: here's that article if anyone is interested: https://uploadvr.com/vr-legally-blind-sees/
 
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Great. Can't wait to switch to a vive when the package comes out.
I'm so fed up with oculus stupid ass software.
 
This is great. I guess vive is seeing pressure from the Augmented reality goggles that came out. In typical vive fashion, the competition caused it to speed up their product lines.

It's just a shame that their price point strategy isn't really to get this is every home and more like stay as an expensive luxury. When the rift dropped to 300-399, they refused to move their price from 799 until half a year later or more.

Personally i'm waiting for 4k per screen. I think there's already some Chinese knockoffs that can do this, i don't get why the big companies can't come out with a product that does this.
 
The panels in the Vive Pro are likely the same panels used in the Samsung Odyssey. So you can get an idea of the visual quality of the Vive Pro by reading an Odyssey review.

edit - Just take into account that there will likely be differences between the lenses in the Odyssey and the Vive Pro. One report currently says that the lenses haven't changed between the original Vive and the new Vive Pro.
 
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I'm very keen on going wireless. But I expect I'll end up with the headset too, somehow.
 
I wonder if you get a reduction in screen door effect if you upscale a lower res signal, and try to take advantage from the blur that up-scaling results in.


In other words play on the Vive Pro using original Vive resolution. Any reduction in screen door effect or is it exactly the same?
The pixels are the same size, so I would say you still get the benefit of reduced screen door. You'll just get more jaggies in the actual image like a normal monitor.
 
Props to HTC for putting higher resolution panels in the headset, now we can get an idea if they make any real-world difference or not. Considering the screendoor on the current HMD's, I'm thinking any step forward is a good step, but when you are that close is a bump that small really worth it.....considering the GPU hit o drive them..guess we find out. FOV matters more to me but my guess is that is a hard problem to solve for, considering you have that nose-piece and lens in the way for one of your eyes if you're looking left-right and not moving your head (which is what VR wants you to do, limit your view so you move your head more, cuz they know how to solve for that motion)....

Expecting a $600 price tag while regular Vive drops into current Rift pricing territory....
 
Bitching about added costs in a VR thread is like going to the Ritz in Hong Kong, ordering the Almas caviar, the complaining about the price of the wine you ordered. [H]ardOCP is niche. High-end desktops are a niche within that niche. VR is a niche, within the niche, within the niche.

If I have any complaint here, it is that they changed the look enough that I won't be able to sneak it in under the radar without my wife noticing.
One could make a argument that it's only niche because of the prices involved. If VR was more affordable, it could be a lot more wide spread. There could come a time in the future where vr/augmented reality googles will replace the computer monitor as the defacto visual interface of choice.
 
It was the #1 reason I sold my Rift(devolper kit), Rift(consumer version), and Vive. All great tech that made me smile ear to ear(and everyone I let try it). The 1080p screens they are using now is like watching a video in 144p. Anything with text might as well be a smear on the screen.

While resolution could always use a bump, more importantly is field of view and screen door.

Screen door can be corrected by OLED which reduces screen door considerably.

But both are limited by GPU power which is limited as it is now. Pretty soon well have 2 GPU's: 1 for the left eye, 1 for the right eye, just to keep up with the display rez.
 
One could make a argument that it's only niche because of the prices involved. If VR was more affordable, it could be a lot more wide spread. There could come a time in the future where vr/augmented reality googles will replace the computer monitor as the defacto visual interface of choice.

I really don't think that is a valid argument. It's not just the cost of the HMD that is prohibitive; the cost of the supporting hardware (CPU, GPU, connectivity, etc...) puts it out of reach for most, as well. Throw in the cost of open space in the home and the unique software required to enjoy VR, and it really cements VR as a capstone in an already niche scenario.

If you want a less extreme example than PC VR, look to Playstation VR. The 2 million PSVR systems sold means less than 3% of all PS4s sold are accompanied by VR, and getting into VR on the Playstation is dramatically cheaper than building a system capable of running VR on PC. This is due both to cost, and a limited interest (which contributes to cost).

All this is evidence to my point, VR on a PC is the very definition of niche i.e., "denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population."
 
Yeah but some of the very best games for VR are actually only on the Oculus store such as Lone Echo and Robo Recall. And plus some of the Oculus store versions are actually more optimized for the rift and the steam version of some games have issues. That said I do try to get most games on Steam though too as who knows what headset I'll go with next.

Shit like this is why I won't EVER support Oculus. We dont need or want another walled garden of content tied to a PERIPHERAL!
 
While resolution could always use a bump, more importantly is field of view and screen door.

Screen door can be corrected by OLED which reduces screen door considerably.

But both are limited by GPU power which is limited as it is now. Pretty soon well have 2 GPU's: 1 for the left eye, 1 for the right eye, just to keep up with the display rez.

The Gen 1 Vive uses OLED as well, it still has screen door effect. RESOLUTION and the layout of the pixels are the key, as well as the optics. OLED isn't a magic bullet, it's just one component of many that go into the final product.
 
I really don't think that is a valid argument. It's not just the cost of the HMD that is prohibitive; the cost of the supporting hardware (CPU, GPU, connectivity, etc...) puts it out of reach for most, as well. Throw in the cost of open space in the home and the unique software required to enjoy VR, and it really cements VR as a capstone in an already niche scenario.

If you want a less extreme example than PC VR, look to Playstation VR. The 2 million PSVR systems sold means less than 3% of all PS4s sold are accompanied by VR, and getting into VR on the Playstation is dramatically cheaper than building a system capable of running VR on PC. This is due both to cost, and a limited interest (which contributes to cost).

All this is evidence to my point, VR on a PC is the very definition of niche i.e., "denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population."
Comparing PS4 VR system and saying that it's not widespread and niche could have many other reasons why it's not popular.
For starters, ps4 came out way before the PSVR system was available. 3% is still amazing for the short time it was released.
Second, hardware is only really popular when there's a reason for getting it. As far as i know there are very little games on the ps4 that support vr, and for the ones that do they're not exactly must haves.
Third, vr enthusiasts who have both a pc and ps4 will opt to get a vr system for the pc instead. I know i did. The PC experience is vastly better than anything the ps4 can do.
Fourth, the price between psvr and pc vr isn't that much different. I'm seeing that the psvr system is 399? I think they had a special over this past holiday for their lowest bundle at 200$. I bought my rift with touch controller for 300$. The main reason i got it was because of the price, even though i wanted to wait for the rift, it was still selling at 799. The difference in price was too great and i didn't want to spend that much. I couldn't see any negatives in buying in at that point.

Price is always a huge factor.
 
All this is evidence to my point, VR on a PC is the very definition of niche i.e., "denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population."

This is not anything new. PCs have long covered a wide range of prices and capabilities. VR is the same, with a growing range of options and price points, from phones to consoles to standalone units coming to PCs. Of course the most expensive options will be the most niche but as with any technology there will be those that will pay for the best. I don't see VR going away anytime soon and cost on the PC at the basic level isn't prohibitive relative to historical pricing the PC gaming market though there are some anomalies in pricing with things like RAM and GPUs because of cryptocurrency.
 
I think it would be nice to have both systems. I was thinking of putting VR out in the living room since it has more space.
The additional res on the Vive would be nice to have and the games that play nicer with the Vive as well.

Do I like VR that much? Yes!
 
Yeah but some of the very best games for VR are actually only on the Oculus store such as Lone Echo and Robo Recall. And plus some of the Oculus store versions are actually more optimized for the rift and the steam version of some games have issues. That said I do try to get most games on Steam though too as who knows what headset I'll go with next.
Oh for sure there are some exclusives that are funded by oculus and I have zero issues with that, but games like superhot I purchase on steam not form oculus so that if I go to a different HMD im not totaly locked out of my library
 
Shit like this is why I won't EVER support Oculus. We dont need or want another walled garden of content tied to a PERIPHERAL!

Before using one, I would have agreed. But after spending a lot of time with the Rift, I understand why they did it. It is really easy to setup/buy games/launch apps/ etc. which is a smart way to launch a new tech and increase your chances for early mass adoption. I appreciate PSVR for the same reasons. It may not be everyone's preference, but I am glad that PSVR and the Rift exist, because without them VR as a whole could end up like 3D TVs. That being said, the Vive Pro will be my next VR kit. It looks to be a nice upgrade.
 
The existing ones work up to 20 FEET by 20 FEET, vs. 30 METERS x 30 METERS. Who needs this kind of space? Who DOESNT???

No. Current is 6m x 6m. New is 10m x 10m or a little over 30ft x 30ft. It isn't 30 meters.
 
I don't plan on investing in any VR platform that doesn't support Steam. And all my software purchases will be on Steam. It's simply too convenient to have everything under one account.
 
No. Current is 6m x 6m. New is 10m x 10m or a little over 30ft x 30ft. It isn't 30 meters.
Correct. Vive 1.0 tracking area is 15' x 15' (225 Ft²) while 2.0 tracking is 30' x 30' (900 Ft²). The Vive Pro has 4x the tracking area of the original Vive.
 
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I use my Rift with SteamVR all the time. I try to remember to buy games on Steam if they are available, usually works :) Only drawback is the occasional poor controller button mapping.

It's really no worse than having 5+ different updaters/launchers for different games because the major publishers don't want to give valve a cut of thier game pie. I'd have preferred them not have games as exclusives for a time but I can understand it.
 
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