HTC has launched a new offensive in the VR space, announcing a standalone VR headset for the Chinese market.
“China is the leading mobile market in the world today, and has the momentum to lead the global VR
market as well,” said Alvin W. Graylin, China Regional President of Vive, HTC, in a statement.
The key difference here between the new headset and the existing HTC Vive is that the former will rely on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset when it comes to processing power rather than a smartphone or PC.
“Partnering with Qualcomm to deliver an easy to use and more affordable Vive VR system will enable us to make premium standalone VR widely accessible to the masses in China,” said Graylin.
As reported by UploadVR, the new headset will draw on HTC’s VivePort platform for content, rather than SteamVR, and potentially even feature hand-tracking technology.
HTC already has a massive presence in the VR space and a successful expansion into the previously-untapped mid-tier VR market could prove lucrative. The potential here is huge, allowing for both an immersive and technically-impressive experience and one that can be consumed in a setting outside of the home.
Both Samsung and Facebook are said to be developing similar standalone offerings.
HTC are also understood to be developing a Google Daydream-powered standalone VR headset.
It’s unknown if, or when, this new headset would come to the Australian market.
