HTC Vive Cosmos (2019)

ArmitageShanks

The only thing HTC sells for less than a hundred bucks is a Vive cable. But let's hope - it's basically an array of sensors so it shouldn't cost more than a Vive controller.

All these bits and pieces are starting to add up though. Without wireless, turning this thing into an Index equivalent is going to cost substantially more than £919. But I guess you get the option of inside-out tracking as standard if that sort of thing gets one aroused...

MikeKay1976

i agree... to be honest i dont think i am interested in that.

but the inside out controllers look nice and if the tracking is good (that negative over rift s sounds like a stinker to me, but also sounds like something a software update will surely fix. and an increased tracking area over rift s a good thing.

huxley

Mmmmm looks interesting, but who is this aimed at?
It isn't competition for the for the RiftS. The RiftS and the WMR headsets are firmly in control of newer users stepping into PCVR when you factor in price.

Is it meant to be for current vive owners who didn't take the plunge on the VivePro?

Regardless its a nice looking headset with some good options for existing lighthouse owners. The only negative is the price which I feel is going to be its downfall.

HTC are following Oculus / WMR trend with the inside out tracking which should help with parity across brands. As well as outsourcing and licencing. Oculus with Lenovo and now HTC with Sony.

Nivek TT

Do we know if it has a physical IPD adjustment?

@huxley it's specced higher than the Rift S in terms of resolution, refresh rate and audio, so is not unreasonably priced a bit higher. This could be an upgrade to Rift owners that weren't excited by the "alternative" Rift S but weren't willing to shell out for the Index.

If it does come available reasonably priced with the lighthouse module but without controllers it may yet be an attractive upgrade to Vive owners who are content to stick with the wands.

I feel there is a place in the market for this though I reckon only 10 to 20% share of the Steam survey.

Is there a relationship between HTC and Sony?

huxley

@Nivek TT

I recall reading they licensed the halo design from Sony. It certainly looks interesting, but the price point is to high for what’s on offer. This depends on reviews and the quality of the supporting htc software I guess.

thesnowdog

Speaking as a developer this isn't a good thing. At all.

I'm in Kent for a couple of weeks so haven't been reading or posting on forums much. So here's my take on the Cosmos so far:

1) It's too expensive. AGAIN. HTC don't seem to learn their lessons.

2) Whatever idiot decided to make the headset trackable but NOT the controllers needs to be sacked. Today. So you spend 700 quid on the headset and controllers, and you already have the base stations from your Vive. But if you want motion controllers with 360 degree tracking you're stuck with your old Vive wands or the ridiculously overpriced Index Controllers.

How much effort would it have taken to put LEDs AND light sensors on the bloody things? So that you can use the Cosmos Controllers or the Vive or Index controllers with perfect 360 degree tracking? Have the LEDs always on when you're using them without base stations and turn them off when you're using them.

3) As I've mentioned above being able to run the thing with a mobile phone from the perspective of a developer is a nightmare. With the Quest and Go you have a set amount of processing power to deal with that's set in stone. With mobile phones you not only have different people with different specs you also have compatibility issues too. Just take a look at app reviews, loads of people will give bad reviews because their phones aren't compatible.

4) It'll sell more than the Index if the tracking isn't a pile of old pants but Oculus will continue to lead the way in terms of sales with the Rift S. Both HTC and Valve need to cut the price of their headsets by 200 dollars/quid to compete.

Atmos

Why should HTC sell for less if they offer more than the RiftS?

I’m sure HTC are aware of the Rift and Index price points and priced the Cosmos accordingly.

If Oculus bring out a more expensive RiftS with built in headphones and higher resolution will some one there need to be fired too?

Cosmos follows the Qualcomm reference design and that is based around the 5G Snapdragon 855 chip. I don’t know why you think it’s going to be hard to design a game for.    Mobile games have been around for years no one ever complained of having more power. I’m sure when 5G gets rolling we’ll see this capability get enabled but for now it looks like it’s too soon for the routers to handle as HTCs last demo showed.

thesnowdog

If it had the hardware inside the headset it wouldn't be a problem. But it doesn't. And it is. A developer doesn't have a fudgeing clue what phones people have in their Cosmos headsets.

Developers need a ceiling to work towards, always have done and always will do. Won't be long before you get people complaining that their Cosmos doesn't run mobile phone games properly.

If you're going to release a mobile phone powered headset then release a mobile phone headset, if you're going to release a PC VR headset then release one of those.

Atmos

Your argument is quite absurd because GearVR followed the exact same path. External mobile GPU with games designed to a minimum spec specifically for that phone. Other phones couldn’t be used with GearVR apart from those certified. The same will happen with Snapdragon 855.

thesnowdog

There's more to a phone's hardware than just the APU.