At Mobile World Congress (CES) 2024 in Spain this week, HTC VIVE showcased its strong presence as a leading enterprise XR solutions provider that creates products in response to industry trends.
Shen Ye, Global Head of HTC VIVE ProductsThe company spoke to CNBC about key XR industry drivers while also revealing new details about its XR XR Elite Bussiness Edition product at the same event.
In particular, Shen said: The biggest factor changing the market is Apple’s entry.
I think Apple’s involvement really validates everything we’ve invested – hardware, platform, infrastructure – and has brought more interest to this space as well as to this show (MDC 2024). We had a ton of people come and do demos, and with someone as big as Apple involved in the game, it was really rewarding to see people actually get into the VR space.
The defining element of the Vision Pro is its controller-less design and instead utilizes tracking technology to record inputs. HTC VIVE also offers user tracking for the XR headset. The company also believes that controllers have their place. “We believe that the controller provides a truly immersive experience for users,” said Shen.
Shen explained that HTC VIVE is experienced in deploying tracking solutions. HTC VIVE has been doing “hand tracking for the past four years.”
Shen also said that despite innovations in hand tracking, controllers may not become outdated because they offer higher accuracy for certain use cases. Shen said tracking is part of HTC VIVE. But the company still believes “there is room” for the controller – “Sometimes people still use a stylus instead of a touchscreen because it offers accuracy and intuitiveness.“Shen added.
Shen also explained:
We’re actually very pleased with a lot of the demand we’ve seen, especially as we build out our ecosystem, we’re tracking not just the headset, but the face, the eyes, the whole body. You can also see people dancing in VR. This space is experiencing significant growth, both consumer and business, and this is what we are showing here (at MWC 2024).
New XR Development Obstacles and Considerations
HTC VIVE is working hard to create the best XR headset. The company is also working to distribute its portfolio of headsets to end users across various sectors. To achieve this industry success, HTC VIVE stays ahead of the curve by integrating new technologies as quickly as possible to lead the next phase of mobile computing.
Shen added:
HTC has always been in computing. We have a vision called VIVERSE/Spatial Computing. This is where we look to the future, this is where we have invested significant resources, and many of our previous smartphone teams have also moved to Google. So now they are making Pixel phones. So we’re focused on building a diverse ecosystem and the next generation of computing.
Another technological consideration is the growth of the AI space, and HTC VIVE has been working with AI “since the evolution of VIVE,” Shen added. Shen also explained that AI mixed with extended reality can improve business operations and situations, including enhancing remote collaboration and creating tools such as real-time translation. Shen points out that HTC VIVE is expanding its AI product line “every week.”
Sen also pointed out
Latency is always an issue, especially in things like VR mixed reality where latency can make you motion sick. So we have been investing in this area for a long time, including through private 5G solutions. It is both the software and hardware of the infrastructure. It will also be very important for AI. We want a very quick response. All of this is going to be really important for AI and mixed reality.
XR Elite Business Edition Products
HTC VIVE has introduced new enterprise immersive services for its XR Elite Business Edition product. New features include improved VIVERSE platform for productivity and remote collaboration use cases. It also includes new AI assistant features and support for location-based software suites to deliver multi-user location-based experiences.
New AI features introduce an AI personal assistant to assist with everyday productivity tasks. This includes calendar updates, voice-to-text translation, and real-time translation in eight languages. AI features also improve the performance of avatars on the Service, and AI enhances user avatar movements. HTC VIVE also supports the VIVE Ultimate Tracking product for VIVERSE users, enabling more accurate avatar movements.
In addition to these features, HTC VIVE is launching the VIVERSE Starter Pack to help organizations get started with their enterprise collaboration platform, which includes the VIVE Business+ system to optimize overall hardware and software deployment.
Combining these features can improve operation over longer multi-user sessions. HTC VIVE also confirmed that new hardware accessories such as face gaskets, over-the-top head straps, and security clips will support “a wider range of use cases.”
The HTC VIVE XR Elite Business Edition upgrades the specifications of the original version, offering a compact form factor with upgraded features for $1,299.