HTC May Take on Meta Quest with New Mixed Reality Headset

HTC’s mixed reality headset has been in news for quite some time now. The new headset with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) support is reportedly scheduled to debut during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 on January 5. The launch is reportedly teased by an HTC executive who did not reveal much about it. It is teased to come with a goggles-like design with front- and side-facing cameras. The upcoming device will compete with models from Oculus Rift and Quest products from Meta.

A report by The Verge, quoting Shen Ye, HTC’s global head of product, says that the company plans to unveil a new flagship all-in-one AR and VR headset at CES on January 5. The headset will have a new design. “It’s about taking all of these advances that we made in not only the design aspects, but also the technology aspects, and building it into something that’s meaningful and that’s appealing for consumers,” the report quotes Ye as saying.

The report also includes an image of the headset that suggests a goggles-like design. It seems to have front- and side-facing cameras that would enable mixed reality. Ye says that the headset can be used for gaming, entertainment, exercise and “even some of the more powerful use cases,” including productivity and enterprise tools. It is said to offer two hours of battery life and support controllers with six degrees of freedom with hand tracking.

With outward-facing cameras, HTC’s new mixed reality device looks to have a similar design language as Meta’s Quest Pro. The Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset was unveiled in October at a price of $1,500 (roughly Rs. 1,23,400).

HTC’s new headset is expected to offer upgrades to last year’s HTC Vive Flow. It was unveiled in October with a price tag of $499 (roughly Rs. 37,400). The foldable VR headset features dual cameras and is compatible with the Vive app. It packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard memory.