The parallel worlds of virtual reality are in turmoil. HTC is launching its Vive Flow, its first VR glasses… almost autonomous. The idea of the helmet manufacturer
Vive Pro 2 (popular with gamers) is to offer VR more mobility. 20 minutes has already been able to try this solution announced on October 14, before its marketing in November.
The battery as the only wire to the leg
They have a good look, the Vive Flow. With their golden outer lenses that give them a futuristic (almost robotic!) Appearance, these glasses are extremely light. Weighing only 189 grams (barely the weight of a smartphone), they incorporate two LCD screens of 1600 x 1600 pixels. In each branch, loudspeakers make it possible, if desired, to dispense with headphones.
To access the world of VR, the use of a smartphone and the Vive Port application where VR content is present is necessary. In the hand of the user of the glasses, the telephone connected via Wifi acts as a remote control with pointer. The Vive Flow are connected to a portable battery that you can slip into your pocket.
Undeniable wearing comfort
When you put them on your nose, you are actually surprised by the great lightness of the futuristic lenses. For comparison, the HTC Vive Pro 2 headset weighs 4.5 times heavier (850 grams)! And the wearing comfort of Vive Flow is also noticed. Thanks to an internal fabric pad, contact with the face is softened and prevents sweating, as with classic VR headsets with a more plastic interior coating. This pad is removable and washable. It is a good point for hygiene if there is more than one to use the glasses.
However, there is a small discomfort in the right ear: this is where the power wire that connects the Vive Flow to their battery is located. But HTC achieves a feat: no longer need to be connected to a computer to access VR. Here, a single smartphone connected in Wifi is sufficient.
HTC in wonderland
The Taiwanese manufacturer having taken care to incorporate dioptric lenses into its Vive Flow. We were therefore able to adjust the quality of our vision with perfect precision.
From the application menu displayed, we are also surprised by the wide field of vision (100 °) that is offered to the eye. Adjustable by simply moving the smartphone, the pointer makes it possible to select among the programs offered. A finger pressure on the screen validates it. These gestures can be learned in an instant.
During the demonstration we were able to enjoy, we had fun with the game Alice in Country wonders in virtual reality. The fall into the famous tree trunk that inaugurates Lewis Carroll’s tale is incredible realism, just dizzying! As you raise your head, you can gradually see the receding surface. By lowering it, the ground on which we are going to crash is approaching at full speed. The colors are vivid, toned, the image precise even if the refresh rate of the screens remains at 75 Hz, barely more than that of a classic smartphone.
The sound broadcast by the speakers of the glasses, however, struggles to fully immerse us in this visual enchantment. He lacks body, power. And you can also hear the surrounding noises. Better to use True Wireless headphones to lock yourself in your virtual bubble …
Watch his series sprawled on the couch
But HTC does not only reserve its Vive Flow for the world of virtual reality. The Taiwanese manufacturer intends to convince us to offer them to us for all our entertainment: YouTube, Tik Tok, Netflix and others can invite themselves to our sessions. Moreover, a few minutes spent watching the beginning of an episode of Squid Game on Netflix were quick to convince us of the exceptional potential of glasses for watching videos.
Behind our windows, we have the impression of being in front of a huge cinema screen. And you can wallow with your glasses on a sofa, your head nestled in a cushion: nothing comes here to interfere with the comfort of viewing. HTC therefore seems to have understood everything. Or almost…
A price that makes them almost inaccessible
Passes on the fact that it will be necessary for those who wish it to subscribe to the application Vive Port to benefit from contents in VR (5.99 euros / month). Also passes on the fact that the glasses are sold without their battery (59 euros for 10,000 mAh and 4 hours of autonomy). Besides, any powerbank can do the trick here (with equal capacity, it is easily found for half the price!).
No, what is shocking is first of all that the Vive Flow is only compatible with the Android universe. The few iPhone owners are asked to go and play elsewhere. Above all, it is the gluttony of HTC that calls out. The Taiwanese announces that he wants to sell his Vive Flow for 549 euros (against 799 euros for the Vive Pro 2 helmet)! That’s downright 50 euros more than an Xbox Series X console from Microsoft!
This puts most of the potential users who might have fallen for this type of equipment out of the game, and in particular the youngest consumers. Unless we break our piggy bank, it seems that only the famous ” early-adopters »Wealthy people are able to invest. Too bad for such a promising device, because at less than 300 euros, we imagine that a short distance from Christmas, these Vive Flow could have really been a hit.
Why virtual reality helps us feel more emotions