CES 2016: Vive Pre is HTC’s new virtual reality system, and Oculus should be worried

By Hugh Langley

HTC is using CES 2016 to reveal the latest version of its Vive virtual reality system, built in partnership with gaming titan Valve. It’s called the Vive Pre and hosts several exciting new features that you need to know about.

First up, the headset itself now looks much sleeker and consumer-friendly, with the sensors now less prominent and a head strap that obscures the unsightly wires.

There’s also a new front-facing camera, which will allow for overlap between virtual and physical worlds. While there’s plenty of potential for developers to do some interesting things here, it will also make for a more comfortable experience when paired with Valve’s room-scale technology, which allows you to walk around when using Vive. For example, you’ll be able to see your cat when it runs in the room – and avoid standing on it.

All of the new features are the ones we recently reported on, including the updated controllers. The Vive’s controllers have been overhauled with circular heads (RIP hexagonal satellite heads), softer edges and grip pads for a design that should be more comfortable in your hands.

There’s also a new “dual stage” trigger which HTC says will provide …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Gaming