In a recent interview, HTC Vive General Manager Daniel O’Brien provided a carefully-worded answer when asked specifically about a ‘Vive 2’. HTC’s current VR headset is now over year old; PC VR hardware cycles are anticipated to last somewhere between 1 and 3 years.

“We’re always continuing to listen to developers, what they think is the most beneficial next-generation improvements and that’s how we’re solving the next headset and when that will come to market”, O’Brien said in response to a question about when the company would introduce a second iteration of the headset, during an interview with Digital Trends.

“It’s not about picking a production cycle and timeline, it’s about bringing really meaningful innovation that helps the developer community to create compelling new experiences.”

In addition to tweaks to the SteamVR Tracking Base Stations, Vive packaging has been refined over time. | Photo courtesy Craig Albert

The question followed a discussion about HTC’s strategy of gradually improving and upgrading the first-generation Vive hardware over time, where O’Brien categorised the lighter cable as a harmless mid-generation improvement (presumably the overall lighter weight and tweaked Base Stations would meet this description too). He considers this to be far less significant than something like a display change.

“When it comes to major jumps like resolution, that’s new-new products,” said O’Brien.

However, optional VIve upgrades are growing in number, adding highly-desirable features that consumers might expect from the second generation of hardware. A wireless solution, rigid headstrap with integrated audio, additional tracking devices, and even eye tracking and corrective lenses are all becoming available for the first generation Vive, which can add several hundred dollars to the price. It supports the notion that the Business Edition and consumer versions of the Vive are about to increasingly diverge; it was recently confirmed that new purchases of the Business Edition will come with the Deluxe Audio Strap, and certainly TPCast’s wireless solution and 7invensun’s new eye-tracking modules will attract the less price-sensitive business market.

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O’Brien also acknowledged the significance of wireless, and depending on how you interpret his comment, might be hinting that the next Vive could arrive in 2018. “TPCast is actually a Vive X company that we invested in and we’re helping them come to market. That is an add-on. In 2017 I feel like wireless is going to be an option for consumers. Later on in 2018, wireless will be an expected feature.”

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.