The previously shrouded image of the rumoured Steam VR headset has finally been revealed. Following the HTC World Mobile Conference press conference, the HTC ‘Vive’ looks to be SteamVR’s reference headset. This is what it looks like.

The first high resolution image of the brand new HTC manufactured VR headset, built in partnership with gaming giant Valve, has been revealed and it looks intriguing.

Technical details on the system are at present scarce, but according to statements made at the World Mobile Conference in the last couple of hours, the device will offer 360 degree positional tracking, with images presented to the user at 90Hz.

valve-vr-hmd-sddThe image reveals a cluster of face-mounted sensors that could be an inside-out (i.e. the HMD tracks the environment, rather than a camera in the environment tracking it) array designed to track the user’s environment.

Update: It seems the HTC Vive website claims that tracking is actually provided by 2 SteamVR base stations – able to track your position in space up to 15 x 15 feet.

You may recall that the now legendary Steam Dev Days VR Headset used inside-out tracking based around Fiducial markers tracked by onboard headset cameras.

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Paul James
Based in the UK, Paul has been immersed in interactive entertainment for the best part of 27 years and has followed advances in gaming with a passionate fervour. His obsession with graphical fidelity over the years has had him branded a ‘graphics whore’ (which he views as the highest compliment) more than once and he holds a particular candle for the dream of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Having followed and been disappointed by the original VR explosion of the 90s, he then founded RiftVR.com to follow the new and exciting prospect of the rebirth of VR in products like the Oculus Rift. Paul joined forces with Ben to help build the new Road to VR in preparation for what he sees as VR’s coming of age over the next few years.
  • cplr

    I don’t think it’s safe to rule out inside-out tracking. The two base stations are specifically called base stations for a reason. They are not called cameras. They could be projecting IR markers around the room for the HMD to use for tracking.