HTC has been teasing the release of a new, compact headset since October of this year. The Verge has learned more details about the upcoming new headset following an interview with HTC global head of product Shen Ye.
SMALLER is better. pic.twitter.com/i8OmRdxHON
— HTC VIVE (@htcvive) October 17, 2022
They have also shared an all new image of the headset sent to them directly by HTC.
The new device is said to be a stand-alone headset, which includes 6dof controllers and hand tracking support.
And much like the Quest Pro and Pico 4, the new HTC hardware will also include full color passthrough cameras for AR/MR support. They also include a depth sensor, something lacking on the other color passthrough devices available. This sensor would allow for more accurate interaction between virtual objects and the real world.
Although price is not yet confirmed, HTC hints that it will seem expensive compared to the Quest 2, as they have more stringent privacy policies and do not profit from selling user data in order to subsidize hardware costs.
One of the major selling points of the new device, other than the inclusion of modern AR/MR features, is the extremely light weight and ergonomic form factor. The final weight has not been detailed, but the battery life was described as being 2 hours.
Source: The Verge