HTC unveiled its second development Kit of Vive, the Vive Pre. It is a transitory link between the original prototype and its final consumer iteration.
The VR headset was supposed to ship in April after some months of delays. It is a second-generation development kit made to create a VR experience with the most experimental technology and the least compromise, according to The Verge.
Basically, the Vive Pre was not supposed to exist. The Vive was meant to be introduced by the end of 2015, but the HTC and Valve held it in order to add "a very, very big technological breakthrough," at the last minute, giving up its position as the first high-end virtual reality headset. HTC showed that breakthrough at the CES 2016: a front-facing camera that gives users a window back into the real world.
However, the camera is not an original idea. Oculus has hired some companies that scan spaces in real-world with cameras, and one of its leaked designs had a similar feature. It looks much like the Gear VR headset's pass-through camera mode - a switch that swaps the virtual reality environment for video from the phone.
The difference is, the HTC Vive Pre senses an entire room and frees the user to roam around in a space up to 16 feet diagonally. Roaming around with the headset on in dangerous, but the Pre can use its camera to look at the room and give constant updates on where everything is, CNET wrote.
According to Phandroid, the controller has received a big upgrade with regards to its comfortability with softer edges, textured buttons, better balance and grip pads. It has a dual-staged trigger controlled by the finger, and vibrations should help drive immersion home. The controllers are now packed with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery that lasts for four hours on a single charge.
