According to reports in the Taiwanese media, HTC could launch its second-generation VR headset at the upcoming CES 2017 trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The upcoming device will reportedly be marketed as the HTC Vive 2, and according to the Central News Agency in Taipei, will feature a few noteworthy improvements over the original, first-gen Vive that was launched earlier this year after many a delay and postponement. The report suggests that instead of messy USB and HDMI cables to connect with computers, the Vive 2 will reportedly come with a wireless transmitter to make the job a lot easier. The device is also said to have two 4K displays with refresh rates of an impressive 120Hz. The current-generation HTC Vive comes with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1200 pixels (1080 x 1200 per eye) and a refresh rate of 90Hz, both of which are identical to what’s offered by the Oculus Rift.
HTC’s Vive line of virtual reality headsets are developed by the Taiwanese tech company in association with American video game company, Valve Corp. While the first working prototype of the Vive VR headset was originally unveiled by HTC at the MWC trade show in March 2015, a number of delays and postponements along the way pushed back the launch date to April 2016. Pre-orders for the HTC Vive started on February 29th, and the device quickly gained popularity, selling over 100,000 units in the next few months. The device, however, comes with a steep price-tag of $799, which is higher than both its nearest competitors – the Oculus Rift and the Sony PlayStation VR. That is one of the reasons why the Vive is said to have been outsold by both its competitors this year, according to a recent report. While the Oculus Rift comes with a price-tag of $699, Sony’s PlayStation VR is the most affordable of the lot, priced at just $399.
The price of the HTC Vive however, has recently been slashed by about 10% in China, with reports out of Taiwan suggesting that the price-cut is in direct correlation to the impending launch of the second-generation Vive. The device is also currently discounted by $100 in the U.S., with both HTC and Microsoft selling it for just $699. Buyers are also entitled to get promo codes for free access to a couple of popular titles – “The Gallery – Episode 1: Call of the Starseed” and “Zombie Training Simulator.”