HTC's new VR headset to be unveiled on September 18th
UPDATESeptember 6:
HTC announces that the new device will be officially unveiled on September 18, 2024. You can find more information below.
HTC hints in a video that it will soon announce a new headset. Could it be the Vive Focus 4, as a leaker suggests?
The video, titled "HTC VIVE: A Vision for You" (see below), was posted on YouTube and shared on social channels.
It ends with the words "Prepare to pioneer the next reality" and the silhouette of a headset with the Vive logo, followed by the words "Coming soon".
The video's description reads, "Keep your eyes open — what’s coming next will change the game for good."
Unlikely to be a consumer product
The new headset will likely use Qualcomm's new premium XR chipset, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2.
Qualcomm said when it announced the chipset in January that more than five OEMs are working on unannounced devices with the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, including HTC. In addition to HTC, Samsung, Immersed, Sony, and Play for Dream have headsets based on the premium chipset in development.
The new chipset's CPU and GPU clocks are 20 percent and 15 percent faster, respectively, than the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 used in Meta Quest 3. It also supports displays with a maximum resolution of 4.3K per eye, up from 3K per eye, and 12 sensors, up from ten. The chipset is designed for upcoming premium devices to compete with Apple Vision Pro.
The new headset could be the Vive Focus 4, Vive XR Elite 2, or an entirely new product line. It is very likely that the device will be aimed at enterprises and professional users. HTC has largely withdrawn from the B2C market and if the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 is indeed used, it will be at the higher end of the price spectrum.
We can only speculate about other technical features at the moment. However, it looks like HTC will be revealing more about the device soon.
Alleged leak: Vive Focus 4?
XR enthusiast and leaker Brad Lynch claims to have learned the core specifications from his sources, and they contradict the chipset speculation.
According to Lynch, the new headset is a "Vive Focus 4" with the following features:
- Two RGB cameras and a depth sensor for mixed reality
- Same lenses, displays, and controllers as Focus 3
- Same last-gen chipset as in Vive XR Elite (Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1)
- USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode
- Built-In Eye Tracking
- Same Design as Vive Focus 3 (compatible with its accessories)
Here's the original X post:
HTC Vive Focus 4 Leak:
📷 Dual Color Cameras w/ Depth Sensor
📺 Same Optics/Displays/Controllers as Focus 3
⏹️ Same XR2 Gen 1 as XR Elite (8GB to 12GB RAM)
🔌 USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode
👁️ Built-In Eye Tracking
🥽 Same Design as Focus 3 (Works with Focus 3 Accessories) pic.twitter.com/a1WSSrb6Cl— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) July 24, 2024
A post on X reveals the announcement date:
See you on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. ET.
It all begins at https://t.co/IBS7Xa9yll.
🎥: https://t.co/fyAsHYTCIy #htcvive #seethewonder pic.twitter.com/ETlsIBHyvm
— HTC VIVE (@htcvive) September 4, 2024
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