New HTC Vive announced, no PC or Phone required

A new model from HTC Vive has been announced, which does not requires any PC or phone in order to function, as the standalone headset makes use of Google Worldsense.

Most current VR headsets require a PC, console, or phone in order for a user’s movement to be tracked, or software to run from. The new device from HTC, the Vive, is being created with partners Google in order to provide a wireless VR experience. Worldsense from Google is a virtual reality platform that has been developed specifically to achieve the goal of wireless VR.

Google already have a product much like the Vive that uses Worldsense to provide wireless VR experiences to all those with Daydream ready phones. Any phone that is Daydream ready, such as the Google Pixel, can be used in conjunction with Google Daydream to achieve a VR experience that’s totally wire free. While this is an amazing VR platform, it still requires a phone in order to function. By working with HTC, Google hope to ascend virtual reality technology to be not only wireless, but completely standalone.

The other key difference between the Vive and other VR devices currently on the market is the lack of motion sensors or light sources. Most current virtual reality headsets require motion trackers to be places around an area of a certain size so that they can track the user’s movement. Other devices use a bright light source to orient the headset each time the user moves, translating that movement into the software being run. Since the Vive will use Worldsense, Google’s own wireless VR platform, there’s no need for these peripheral devices to be stationed around the room.

Google’s Worldsense technology works by using specific readings to orient the user’s head within the software they’re running, whether that’s a game, design software, or other application type. Currently in conjunction with Google’s Daydream headsets and Daydream ready phones, Worldview takes measurements such as gyroscopic movements, light level differentiation from the camera, and sound levels all to orient users in their virtual reality experience. The Vive is being built to take more measurements and provide more precise readings, in order to provide the best result possible.