The SteamVR powered HTC Vive virtual reality system may see an updated “HTC Vive 2.0” before the end of the year according to a report citing suppliers to the Taipei based firm.

The HTC Vive, powered with technology developed by gaming giant Valve, had an impressively short gestation period. Although we can’t be sure precisely when Valve began working in earnest on its own competitor to the Oculus Rift, the Vive’s release to consumers just over 12 months after its first reveal (shipping eventually in April) at GDC 2015 is rapid by consumer electronics standards.

See Also: HTC Vive Review: A Mesmerising VR Experience, if You Have the Space
See Also: HTC Vive Review: A Mesmerising VR Experience, if You Have the Space

In light of this impressive feat, compromises were likely made to the final consumer model of the Vive, and despite the system’s impressive room-scale credentials, most critics agreed that however impressive experiences were using HTC’s hardware, its fit and finish left a little to be desired when compared to its sleeker rival the Oculus Rift. Lack of integrated headphones, with a bulkier front-heavy design and a heavy collection of cables trailing behind it gave the impression of a headset which had been pushed to market somewhat earlier than was ideal.

See Also: HTC: Consumer Vive Is “Gonna Look a Lot Different” – Modular Headphones, New Mounting System, and More
See Also: HTC: Consumer Vive Is “Gonna Look a Lot Different” – Modular Headphones, New Mounting System, and More

Indeed, we had reported earlier on improvements HTC had planned for the Vive. Speaking with HTC’s Brian Lowe at the company’s 2015 SHVR Jam, Executive Producer working on VR content told Road to VR about design changes originally planned for consumer HTC Vive which included thinner, lighter cable, modular headphones and overall improvements in size and weight distribution. This was in comparison to the then current DK1 which had already shipped to developers. Although the company did indeed deliver improvements in its CES 2016 reveal of the ‘Pre’ model Vive, most visibly completely redesigning the controllers (as Lowe had stated), the overall form factor of the headset when it became available for Pre-order in February this year remained largely unchanged.

Now, a report citing hardware suppliers to HTC claims that we may see a new version of the Vive within the next 6-8 months, sporting a sleeker design and upgraded components. The report claims we may see “HTC Vive 2.0”, as they put it, toward the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017.

See Also: HTC Vive Headset Nearing 100,000 Install Base, Steam Data Suggests
See Also: HTC Vive Headset Nearing 100,000 Install Base, Steam Data Suggests

Donning our ‘wild speculation’ hats, we don’t expect a major overhaul in terms of core technology should this new HTC Vive revision indeed appear – so resolution of internal panels and FOV seem likely to remain the same. But it does seem plausible that the ergonomic design improvements originally revealed to Road to VR last year could make their way into a mid-generation refresh and indeed such changes would improve consumer appeal as VR attempts to break beyond the enthusiast market.

We’ve reached out to HTC for comment on the story and will report back should we hear anything.

UPDATE: 18/07/2016 @12pm ET: We received an official response from HTC on this story, they told us simply “We have no comment at this time.”

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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.
  • Matt R

    I already own a Vive but hey….I’d buy it in heart beat. Probably they will just sell the headset. No need to sell new lighthouse boxes or controllers unless they have made improvements to them too.

    • Jean Thompson

      Damn. I guess I’ll be selling the one I have when I get 2.0. Got to have the latest and greatest!

    • Sebastien Mathieu

      agreed!!! me too in a heartbeat… have you played Raw Data??? damn this game is awesome!!!!

      • J.C.

        If it’s minor changes, I probably won’t pick it up. Screen res and peripheral increases would interest me, but not “a better balanced headset”.

        I’m far, FAR more interested in a better video card. It’s a game of waiting for them to go on sale for their actual price, unfortunately.

        • Sebastien Mathieu

          just got a 1070 sold my 970 while was still worth something… just palyed nvidia vr funhouse the demo is quite impressive…

      • Gamevid4

        Raw Data is amazing! I have played many of the titles out now most are great experiences. Raw Data is the first one that gave me such a sense of presence I forgot I was in my office. I found myself backed against the wall(real wall), guns blazing, at three robots that crept up behind me while I was kneeling down to reload. When you look up and see life size robots trying to take your head off it is startling. No way to describe it properly unless you experience it.

      • Mike

        Hell yea its awesome! ..can’t wait for budget cuts

  • The report isn’t citing hardware suppliers, but the news site sina. Sina is citing reddit. Not saying it’s wrong, but the source is completly unconfirmed. Could’ve been anyone.

  • El_MUERkO

    Sounds more like a 1.5 rather than a 2.0, I think most Vive owners wouldn’t consider upgrading for ergonomic improvements but Resolution and FOV changes would get many people excited.

    • Charles

      I would upgrade for ergonomic improvements.

    • Cl

      I dont have a headset yet and i wanted the vive, but the oculus is lighter and i actually like the headphones that come with it. So it may not get people who already have the vive to upgrade, but it could convince people like me who dont have one yet and are on the fence of which to get. If they can somehow bring the cost down too it would be great.

      • Bob

        The Oculus Rift is no doubt a lot more comfortable than the Vive in it’s current state. It feels more polished as a product and you could definitely tell they spent a lot more time on refining the ergonomics which is so important for a HMD. The average Joe who doesn’t understand VR and doesn’t know the specifications of either device but is interested in getting into the experience will almost always choose the Rift simply because it looks more professional, simplistic and lightweight.

        • Ted

          Dude… That is such a ridiculous statement, a piece of junk that just sits on your face with a limited games list vs a totally immersive unit that gives you the freedom to run crawl and dive around INSIDE the virtual world backed up by the Constantly growing and open developer environment of steam?? That is not even a competition, the oculus no longer belongs in the race, get it out of here.

          • yobibyte

            The only thing that differentiates the Rift from the Vive is the current lack of motion controllers and a second tracking sensor. Both of these will change in a few short months when Oculus Touch releases. At that point they will both offer the exact same experience, and indeed, the Rift can and will play all roomscale SteamVR titles that use motion controllers. Right now it can be done by anyone who owns a Razer Hydra and by developers who own Touch (Reality Check VR on YouTube has lots of videos demonstrating this), and soon consumers who buy Touch will also be included in those numbers. You, fanboy, are either willfully ignorant or astonishingly biased and in denial.

          • John Rambo

            never go full retard.

      • yag

        Vive 1.5 and Touch may launch at the same time… the choice may be hard…

  • VRDRUMMER

    I doubt we would see this in 2016…Most likely 1Q 2017. Let’s hope it’s not made with cheaper quality materials so that they can try to hit a lower price too. I am certain they want to get the he price of the Vive at 500-600, just don’t compromise on quality.. Yes, I am a Quality Technician in my profession.

    • Sebastien Mathieu

      100% agreed… hope they would sell it standalone so I can re-used my lighthouses/controllers and pay minimum for the headset

      • Smokey_the_Bear

        I agree, I would love to replace just the HMD for a better one, costing no more then $400.

    • Mike

      If they make another vive it will most definitely be made with cheaper material ..I’m sure of this.

      • Nir

        I believe they’ve said that they wish the Vive lineup to be a premium one . Maybe they’ll have a low cost one but I’m sure they’ll always release a high end one with it.

        • Itakis

          Cheaper than plastic lenses? No way XD

          • Nir

            Please, if you have a better solution, post it here. We would love to hear it.

          • Mike

            Well not that cheap…more like ps3 model 1 vs 3 cheap..yeah lol

      • disqus_1S1GyNUnq5

        …which is not a bad thing at all. since the psvr is much lighter because of the cheaper material it certainly doesn’t get as heavy over time as the vive. while i also love the material of the original vive i would gladly opt for a lighter, more plastic vive version.

        • Mike

          Your right, but I have to argue. Does the vive really feel that heavy to you, because it doesn’t bother me or my friends that try it out. I would say I haven’t tried any of the others…..yet.

    • CaptainAwesomer

      I hope so too, especially at the price of a Vive. I lost a good $150 router because Asus cheaped out on a little capacitor inside.

  • DiGiCT Ltd

    I have no weight issues with my vive, the trick is to put it on correctly with the headstraps.
    Second i prefer no embedded speakers, no matter how good or bad they are i want to have choice for audio so i am fine with none on it.
    The wire is kinda heavy but it is easy to solve by using a strap or your belt with the wire go trough it and giving it some more space between head and belt/strap it makes it feel much leighter too as the weight will mostly pull your belt or strap which you easy can handle.
    And last but not least who cares about how an HMD looks from the outside, VR is all about the inside expierence, there is no value on the outside looking at all.

    Only one bug issue in current vive if you have the camera enabled it can sometimes lag VR performance, it is solved by just enabling the camera in VR and disabling it again, no idea its software or hardware based but it seems to reset the issue that way.

  • boniek

    Gaze detection for auto ipd adjustment and foveated rendring would make it a killer.

  • DaKangaroo

    I’ll be honest. If they released this update at the end of this year, a Vive 2.0, and they gave the option of just buying the headset solo to upgrade the HMD only, and it costs a reasonable price, I’d buy it! I mean if there are improvements in the lens, a reduction in size, better head fit, better cable management maybe, etc. I don’t know, maybe wireless even? Who knows. Anything which significantly improves the overall experience of the Vive, I’d be willing to lay down some cash to buy it! As long there is an HMD only upgrade option and it doesn’t cost the same price again a second time.

    • Sam Kennedy

      Your dreaming if you think High quality wireless VR is coming in the next 6 to 8 months.

      • Anon630

        Maybe your idea of high quality is relative to you, but it’s already possible through Gear VR and Riftcat software. You can even set up room scale with it if you know what you’re doing.

        • Kenneth Leung

          With GearVR you are just strapping a computer to your head, I highly doubt you can get desktop grade graphics at 90fps wirelessly. (Unless you have one of those vr backpacks)

      • Charles

        There was a recent article here on Road to VR about a company that’s been working closely with Valve to release a wireless transceiver for the Vive. They said they’ll probably be demoing it this fall, and presumably releasing it in the near future.

      • Payden Keith Pringle

        The FCC just released a new wireless standard. 802.11ad

        It supports up to 4.3 Gbps transfer speeds and runs at 60GHz. The higher frequency enables the insane data transfer, but it means it won’t work through walls, like, at all.

        This standard seems to be aimed at wireless Video in general. Which is perfect for a VR headset. There are even routers that already support 802.11ad but no devices that do.

  • casperlims

    First off this is still a rumor, but I doubt it will be significant upgrade over the current Vive. Chances are they are going to try to make a more consumer friendly design, and tweak some specs here or there. I think it’s totally warranted if true. Why not continue to iterate on the design.

    If I were to get a second headset i’d be more likely to get a PSVR than a Vive 1.5, because I believe the success of PSVR will be very important for more widespread adoption, and in turn more cash being thrown at developers. Sony already has a stable of 3rd party and 1st party developers.

    • yobibyte

      Here is hoping that Sony does a better job of encouraging VR design best practices and discouraging design choices that actively make people sick like stick yaw. There were a lot of people at E3 that were made ill by the VR demos for Resident Evil and Final Fantasy. It is not a good sign for the industry if AAA studios are willing to put out games that poison the well just to make a quick buck on an established franchise in a new market.

      • Tad Springer

        Couldn’t agree more on yaw rotation! It’s even worse when it’s automatic yaw rotation that’s not even controlled via a stick (like in Apollo 11 VR when it pans around the shuttle! Pure vom inducing!). If devs want to allow traditional stick movement I’d really like it if more gave the option to disable yaw rotation so you could only do that via the HMD and the stick just controlled you moving forwards in the direction you’re facing or strafing if you push left/right on the stick.

  • Brian

    I don’t have a problem with current vive. I don’t think it is heavy and it fits great. Most people aren’t wearing it for 2+ hours anyway. I won’t upgrade if it is the same resolution.

  • Anil Grover

    I want to buy a latest version of HTC vive.
    Please suggest me how can I place my order. I am from India

    • Psychometrics

      eBay? Profiteering and import duties would probably kill you though.

    • JustNiz

      Just place an order on htcvive.com

  • Dubster

    Something in there to prevent steam up and they’d get my cash in a heart beat

  • JustNiz

    Will be all over this, IF and only IF they get rid of the fresnel lenses and use proper lenses instead.

  • ummm…

    i spent $900+ on my vive. If they release a product that makes me feel cheated, then It would destroy my trust and loyalty. Suddenly I would consider other HMD jockying for position.

  • keubibo

    It’s stil ltoo expensive :(

  • Zack57

    oh really?! Do we get a free replacement if we were stupid enough to buy the early version?!

  • Socius

    Need a model with 4K+ Resolution and at least 120Hz refresh rate and at least 160 fov. All of which is now possible with dp1.3 on new Nvidia and amd cards. Otherwise it’s just pointless. Screendoor effect, tunnel vision, and lack of fluidity. Really crazy that no one is doing it yet, outside of fove vr and starbreeze.

    • Liace

      Wtf men.. Imagine how mutch computing power you need to drive just one 4k monitor at 60 fps?? Now you want MORE than double the resolution and double the fps? That’s four time the power off the most powerfull house PC… That’s why they’re not doing it. It just would be unplayable.

      • Numpty2k

        Just because the headset is capable doesn’t mean you have to use it. I’d prefere to buy a headset run it at 1080 and then in a couple of years get a new GPU and boost it to 4k rather than have to replace the headset everytime i get a new GPU

      • Socius

        It doesn’t take that much computing power. I can already do it with my Titan Xs. GTX 1080 with overclock can on average do 60fps at 4k. So all you need is to dedicate 2 GTX 1080s for the HMD. One GPU per eye. And you get 120fps at 4k. That’s not crazy, considering gaming monitors and even vr hmds sell for around $1000. Which is about the same as it would cost to buy 2 GTX 1080 cards.

        • Negatron99

          You don’t want an average of 60fps. You want a consistent minimum of 60fps. But really you need 90fps to drive it at 90hz. And again, consistent, never less than 90fps. Lest the motion problems start seeping in.

          And two Titans is a lot of computing power. Two 1080 GTXs are a lot of computing power.

          Constant wants for these headsets to be ever more high-resolution will push them further into the niche market and destroy it. Simply because of people that are capable of spending that much, forgetting that not everyone can, and the further it goes, even less people can.

          • Socius

            And yet there’s no reason why HTC can’t put out 2 versions. Just like CPU and GPU makers do. One for the mass market. And with a higher price tag, that is identical in every way in terms of design, but simply uses a higher resolution panel.

          • WR75

            Yes, technology and quality shouldn’t be suppressed by lazy socialist millennials with no ambition and no money. Give us the best and many of us will buy it.

          • Bahusia55

            I think you are a lazy socialist…..ha ha ha

          • Jarea

            I agree with your arguments but not with the part of blaming on specific social sector. That was a unfortunate flaming comment.
            Having said that, i agree we should not stop technology because there are some people that cannot pay it. There is always other people that can buy. As Socius said that has been done for CPU and GPU markets.

          • Dan Robertsson

            Good point… maybe not identical in every other way though, theres a lot of costs that can be saved besides using a cheaper screen

          • Nic Tanghe

            THe reason is they wont sell above maybe max 10000.
            And setting up a factory for 10000 peaces of gear when a displat revolution is around the corner isen’t a verry good buisness desision.

          • ShaneMcGrath

            That is also rubbish.
            It won’t be like they will just dump the low end model which will be mass market, They will just add a higher end model for those that can afford it like any other market you care to name.
            There is no excuse to push the tech forward which then trickles down to mass market. It is the early adopters that help push prices down.

        • Qwertywitter

          Yeah, i t isn’t a lot of computing power to spend more than a thousand dollars on video cards alone!

          • Socius

            The cards exist. We’re not talking about hypotheticals. I’m saying just like there are more expensive video cards, which are profitable, and $1000+ gaming monitors for those same video cards, because it’s also profitable, there should also be an HMD sold for that segment. It’s not that hard to understand.

          • Qwertywitter

            The premise was that a lot of computing power is required to run 4k. A lot of computing power typically means a price tag out of most people’s reach. It isn’t that hard to understand.

          • Socius

            When the price of a GTX 1080 is $600, and a VR headset is $800, the VR headset is more out of reach than this “crazy level of computational power” that you seem to think is required.

            Logic fails you yet again. I blame your parents.

          • Qwertywitter

            That is irrelevant. Focus on the premise. And the premise is a lot of computational power is required. Way beyond the 600 dollars.

          • Socius

            No. It’s not. Because if you can afford $1000+ for a 4K HMD, you can afford the same for the GPU power to run them. Not to mention a single OC’d GTX 1080 is enough, as long as you don’t expect to run with max graphics settings. Besides, no one buys a $1000+ HMD to run it on a $200 video card. Stop failing at logic. Failbot.

          • Qwertywitter

            Focus on the premise of the argument. It isn’t that hard to understand.

          • Socius

            You clearly don’t understand the meaning of half the words you’re attempting to use. Figures. It’s the weekend. School kids are still online.

          • John Rambo

            u are such a loser… get outside.

        • Bearnose

          Haha shit no you’re not thinking this through! They need 90 fps/ eye. What you are saying is not possible with current GPUs

    • finnegan

      I don’t know dude. I played with the Vive for like 5 hours the other night and had no issues with screendoor/tunnel visions/fluidity. It was fine.

      The hardest part is taking it off when you’re done and seeing the floor again below your feet.

    • Brian Kramer

      I’m sure they will after an iteration or two.

      I think what it is is that VR is a niche market right now. High end VR would be a niche of a niche, so not worth focusing on at the moment. I think they just want to get the maximum adoption rate for now, get the ecosystem started, develop the market, and then add a high end to it.

      Comparing high end VR to high end monitors or graphics cards is unfair because they are part of an existing, very large market which adding a high end niche to is justifiable.

      VR is still in its infancy. It will get there though.

    • Max

      You should read more about SLI/crossfiring in VR.
      in VR 1+1 is not equal to 2. using 2 GPU for VR is not beneficial because extra time is needed to sync the calculation done by 2 GPUs. This lowers the framerate.

      • Socius

        You’re missing some important details. Nvidia will be enabling a single GPU to render to each eye individually. Instead of 2 cards working together to render a single frame on OLED_Panel1 and then the next one on OLED_Panel2, GPU1 will be responsible for only OLED_Panel1, and GPU2 will be responsible for only OLED_Panel2. This actually reduces latency and gives nearly 100% scaling.

    • Dave

      I think the industry agrees with you regarding the wants for VR. 4K and 120Mhz would be amazing. However the technology just isn’t available yet, thats not just graphics powers but also the lenses and wireless coms to the headset (I don’t see the second generation being teathered). Google Oculus Connect 3 Michael Abrash and have a listen to what he says about the future. Clearly we can’t do what we do now and expect 4K, thats not practical but there are ways of getting close with little visual fidelity loss which the next generations of graphics cards can reach.

  • ThreeRing

    Not increasing display resolution and not using foveated rendering will lead to me continuing to wait for VR hardware. I will not purchase inferior hardware and will not pay for a supercomputer to render pixel detail which I cannot see. Rendering high-detail data outside the fovea region is a waste of compute resources, and the resolution of the Vive is currently too low for decent immersion. 4k per eye is doable with current technology if each screen is rendered at 720p first, and then the fovea region is re-rendered at 4k equivalent resolution. Doing it any other way is silly and wasteful. And so I wait.

    The fovea region could be rendered with a similar GPU cost to an additional 720p frame per eye. In other words, computationally No Big Deal, even for a current-gen Radeon RX480 or Nvidia GTX 1060.

  • Brian Brogan

    I’m not computer genius but if they can figure out multiple GPU s running each eye and of course latency problem that goes with it..maybe we could get higher resolutions…??

  • Stewart Gill

    i will NOT be getting a new version unless displays are way better

  • Tetsuo

    I am Japanese living in Tokyo I am a police officer but a huge electronics and simulation fan my 2nd home is Akiban ;) Anyway love the Vive and only wish it to be better in the future I agree it would be great upgrade existing hardware and keep the price at the affordable level it is in but coming from a hightech electronic country I have to say that past experience show that most electronics sadly completely change in newer models or no parts are compatible like videocards or cpu’s in pc. I also look forward to more pro vr headsets price of course will be much higher than this one but again new toys always costs.

  • JJ Guerrilla

    I chuckle when I see the Vive and think back when saw the cell phones of the early 90’s. The “bricks”. I even went into a radio shack and saw one thinking it was soo cool, and how neat it would be to just be walking down the street talking to someone on this brick phone. I think it’s the same w/ VR now. I can’t wait to look back at the Vive of 2016 and chuckle at the novelty compared to how my 2026 VR system is.

  • ponlets

    based on information it releases in november of 2017 .. will wait for price confirmation .. assuming its 900$ at the moment … gotta save up lol