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Everyone knows that in the virtual reality game, Meta is a major player. With low, accessible prices and a range of diverse features and experiences, Meta’s Oculus seems to have it all. However, HTC global head of product Shen Ye is foreshadowing the arrival of a new headset, one that, in his opinion, is better than the Meta Quest.
Of course, in order to have a better product, one must bring new features to the table. That’s why with these new VR headsets, HTC planning to include depth sensors, which aid in movement tracking within virtual spaces. Additionally, it’s being promised that visuals as a whole will get a lot better, with an enhanced color range and the ability to read text off of other screens and devices- another trait that the Quest is lacking. Most importantly, though, is the increased privacy that the future VR service plans to offer. Ye states that “We’re in an era when consumer VR headsets have been massively subsidized by companies that are trying to vacuum up and take personal data to provide to advertisers,” and due to the personal nature that a lot of the headset functions will have (with it having access to users’ cameras and confidential data), hopefully HTC plans to cut no costs in order to ensure that their consumers and their information is protected and secure.
This all leads to the one obvious drawback of the incoming tech-pricing. Historically, the company’s previous headsets the Vive Flow and the Focus 3 cost $499 and $1,300, respectively, so it’s reasonable to believe that their new project should fall somewhere between those prices. That’s a significant leap from the $399 it costs to purchase a Meta Quest 2, but with Meta’s dubious privacy history, it might just be worth it.
Naturally, one must wait until CES happens on January 6th to get all of the details for HTC’s new project. But from how things are looking so far, they definitely seem like a viable contender for taking Meta’s virtual reality crown.
