HTC is planning to unveil two Vive virtual reality headsets at its ViveCon 2021 conference that’s happening on May 11th and May 12th, according to Protocol. While the original Vive and Vive Pro headsets were associated more with gaming, the high-end Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 Business Edition will reportedly be aimed toward the enterprise sector.
No specs or images of either headset have surfaced, so it’s unclear if both will be tethered headsets that require a PC to use or if one will have a standalone, wire-free design to take on the likes of the Oculus Quest 2.
The report from Protocol states that both headsets were mentioned in HTC company documents and were also briefly listed on European e-commerce site Alzashop. Before those shop listings were taken down, the Vive Focus 3 Business Edition showed a €1,474 ($1,771) price, and the Vive Pro 2 was listed for €842 ($1,012), according to Protocol. Both headsets are reportedly launching sometime in May.
These headsets could be exciting in their own ways, but another device I’m holding out hope to see at ViveCon is the fitness-focused Vive Air. Pictures leaked a couple of weeks ago showing an attractive standalone VR headset with a breathable fabric design, and it prompted HTC to say that, unfortunately, it’s just a concept. But maybe that’s just what a company trying to downplay an exciting announcement would say, right?
We’ll know much more come May 11th at HTC’s VR conference, where the company says it will debut “game-changing VR headsets” during the keynote.
