As if the announcement of three new headsets Cosmos wasn’t enough?! HTC today also introduced Vive Proton. The company calls it a “prototype” headset with two different options: a standalone VR headset and “VR viewer”, which will run from attached device such as a smartphone.
HTC unveiled its first look at the Proton Vive, a new VR headset from the company which is aimed at a more compact form factor. Currently offers few details, and the company makes clear that proton is still at an early stage.
“Proton Project is a prototype of a future device in the style of the points XR of the HTC Vive, which we hope to hear feedback from the community as we continue to work on this product”, — said the representative of HTC.
HTC presents two versions of the Proton, a standalone headset with its own processing and battery power, as well as a smaller version of “VR viewer”, which will run on the host device such as a smartphone or PC.
In the past year, the company said that its headset Cosmos will eventually be able to be attached to smartphones, but no news about this feature in today’s announcements of the Cosmos, it seems, she has transferred this concept to the Proton.
HTC does not offer any specifications or release dates Proton. The photos provided by the company, we can detect the camera hidden under the reflective outer shell, which, most likely, will be used to track inside-out and possibly to hand tracking. Of course, until now, was only shown a computer rendering, and it is not clear whether there is a real working prototype.
Although HTC says that Proton is a device in the style of “glasses”, in size it is still much closer to the VR glasses. However, it definitely looks more compact than modern VR headsets, including its own Vive Cosmos.
HTC has confirmed, that Proton will support 6DOF tracking, so it’s definitely a step in the right direction for this compact form-factor.
At this stage it is unclear when HTC will commit itself to withdraw Vive Proton on the market or at what price, although the previous individual VR headset company, offering Focus, costs from $ 600. Allegedly tied to the version of the headset will be cheaper than the standalone version (due to the lack of embedded power and computing).
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