Following the teasing that preceded its recently released VR accessories, HTC is back on the teasing train, this time showing what may well be a new Vive headset.

The HTC Vive Twitter account shared a single teaser photo today saying, “now that the accessories are out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

Image courtesy HTC

The Twitter tease follows the launch of new VR accessories from the company, which themselves were teased ahead of their reveal. The phrase from today’s tweet, “now that the accessories are out of the way,” suggests this is indeed a new Vive headset from the company. It seems likely too that the phrase “let’s get down to business,” means this device won’t be consumer focused.

While we don’t know for sure if this is a VR headset (it could be AR for that matter), HTC’s Vive China president, Alvin Wang Graylin, tweeted the same photo with the hashtags “#XR #VR #Vive,” saying also, “can’t wait to share the bigger picture.”

Assuming this is a headset that’s being teased, it appears that the photo is of a single corner-mounted tracking camera, similar to what we’ve seen on Quest and other headsets. This would be a departure from Vive headsets of the past, which have placed cameras either on the front or sides, so this is likely a new product we haven’t seen before rather than a tweak to an existing headset.

HTC’s Proton prototype | Image courtesy HTC

In early 2020 HTC revealed Vive Proton, a prototype compact standalone VR headset. However, we have heard little about Proton since then, and the designs revealed don’t seem to bear much resemblance to today’s teaser photo, unless there have been some significant changes to camera placement (which is entirely likely given that we’re more than a year removed from the initial Proton reveal).

Whatever HTC has up its sleeve, it looks like we’ll be waiting a while yet for a full unveiling.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • okExpression

    A good alternative to G2 would be welcome. Especially one which isn’t always out of stock.

  • Bob

    now that the accessories are out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

    Hmm. Lets hope that means what is supposed to mean and not something in HTC language! ;)

  • kontis

    Will they repeat that bizarre situation of releasing a tracker and a headset that cannot be used with it… ?

    HTC has a big dilemma: most of their user base tracks with Lighthouse and all their best and most successful products are based on that, but it’s a high quality, high friction and expensive tech that cannot be used for stand alone money making devices like Quest.

    Imagine their internal discussion how to handle this situation. Not fun.

    • Anonymous

      There is no dilemma. Everything is obvious. Only dumb number-crunching MBA executives who are too timid to see past one quarter of sales being the disease of any IT company.

      Standalone is where the market is and will always be, and is the only way to get VR to continue moving. Selling to a bunch of nerds like us at high price is never going to earn enough to feed the employees let alone continue VR development, especially for a near-dead company that is hanging on a thread like HTC. They must compete with Quest. PCVR is easily addressed with just USB-link.

      The real difficult question is app store. Do they run their own and cause another walled garden, or do they partner with someone else?
      Selling hardware alone is not going to be very profitable especially considering Quest’s aggressive pricing.

      • Kevin White

        “The real difficult question is app store. Do they run their own and
        cause another walled garden, or do they partner with someone else?”

        Sounds like quite a dilemma.

      • okExpression

        These “bunch of nerds” are a 50 billion USD industry where these “nerds ” spend 500 USD+ on consoles, laptops and PCs plus 60 USD for each game. These “nerds” spent 300 USD on an existing 400-500 USD gaming console to experience PlayStationVR which outsold all the competition during its time.
        This industry which apparently is only made up of “a bunch of nerds” is so big it’s pretty much equal to the mobile gaming industry, even though the latter statistic is also made up of every 4 year-old passive “consumer” that plays their dad’s/mom’s iphone and accidentally empties their credit card on filler apps and in-app purchases because the parents aren’t bothered to spend time raising their kids.

        A PC VR headset can actually cost quite a bit less than a standalone, because a standalone adds 100 USD just to the PCB cost.

        This idea of a niche “enthusiast” PCVR market is only floating and echoed in Oculus-dominated niche VR sites, the huge gaming market is actually just waiting for non-vapor games and slightly better pixel densities to consider VR a worthy purchase and aren’t stopped by the 200-300 USD higher price tag, because for crying out loud they spend 60 USD per game already.

        If you missed the news, 2.8K LCD panels have been manufactured and used inside Varjo for the peripheral vision. That’s a considerable bump over 2.1K. THis headset may continue the HTC trend and be the first consumer headset to include it. It’s not about screen-door anymore, but much sharper vision.

      • DanDei

        lol, what a bunch of armchair CEO bollocks

      • mirak

        PCVR USB-link is garbage.

    • mirak

      It would be weird to talk about accessories to be out of the way, then present something that would not use them.

      • mirak

        They would really be out of the way.

        But that would no goddamn sense.

  • dk

    if it looks nothing like the proton that will be hilarious

  • xyzs

    If it runs on battery, with wifi 6/6e connection to PC, with oculus touch like controller layout, a good inside out tracking (this time), and RGB oled screens, that will be an interesting product.

    But common, it’s Htc we talk about here, 95 percent chance it’s gonna be disappointing.

    • TheNightmareIsReal

      Oculus touch like? Index style controllers are clearly the far better choice and allow you to actually open your hand and close it while in VR.

  • Andrew Jakobs

    “It seems likely too that the phrase “let’s get down to business,” means this device won’t be consumer focused.”

    I don’t see why that would be, normally when you say “let’s get down to business” after you said something about something small, you just mean you’re now getting to the bigger things.

    But it does look like a VR headset, as you can see the nose outline.

    I just hope they don’t keep us waiting long for the actual showing of the new device.
    And I just hope it’ll have a good headstrap like the Vive Pro, not another crappy elastic band like the original vive had or the quest 2 has.

    • Blaexe

      HTC loves to play with words – just take a look at the past accessory teasers. Coupled with the statement that it won’t be a Quest competitor makes it completely reasonable to interprete it that way.

      • Cheryl Johnson

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      • TheNightmareIsReal

        Not a quest competitor means don’t expect them to eat the cost of the headset hardware like Facebook.

        • Blaexe

          A consumer standalone “not a Quest competitor” would be WAY more expensive. Like $800. There’s no market for a $800 consumer standalone headset (especially by HTC) – so it won’t happen.

          • mirak

            Like there would be no market for 1000€ phones.

            What a visionary.

          • Blaexe

            Like if comparing smartphones to VR headsets makes any sense.

            Phones have proven use cases – they are the most important device for a lot of people in their lives.

            VR headset? Completely different. You have to convince people that a VR headset has actual use cases and is worthwhile. There is no market for a $800 standalone headset today. Maybe in 10 years things will be different. (probably not though, as AR glasses will take that spot)

          • mirak

            How much do you think computers costed in the 80′ ?
            How much do you think flat screens costed when they came out ?
            How much do you think first mobile phones costed ?

            You seem to believe that hightech market started with low quality and low cost product, but this was never the case.

          • Blaexe

            > There is no market for a $800 standalone headset today.

            Reading is hard.

          • mirak

            people pay for tech when it is good quality

            understanding is hard

    • When they said “it’s your move”, it was for the trackers, that you use to move your body. So I think it’s likely they played with words even this time

    • mepy

      It’s probably *priced* for business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used by individuals if it’s the best headset around – like the Vive Pro.

  • 3872Orcs

    A wireless headset with similar or better specs than Index would probably do it for me. Vive has been very good in the past. My wireless Vive Pro has probably been my favorite headset so far, a least it was used far more than my current Index due to it being wireless. Index is better in almost every way but the cable is a major drawback for me!

    • Vive Pro/Eye with HTC wireless or backpack PCVR has been stellar, and ideal for many “experiences” found at immersive festivals; coloured and lit for oled (Rift CV1/ Vive).

      Toughest challenge is getting the lenses right, it’s not inexpensive nor easy.

      • Julia Norris

        Get $193 per h from Google!…~a782~ Yes this can be best since I simply got my initial payroll check of $24413 and this was just of one week…I am aslo purchased my Mclaren P1 right after this payment…~a782~ it is really best job I have even had and you will not for~give yourself if you not check it >>>> https://gurl.pro/webmoney !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • mirak

    the form seems flat like headset that would use microleds screens

  • Jonathan Winters III

    Oh yay. Another tease from HTC. Like last time, and the times before, I won’t be getting excited. After the (very well done) Vive, they’ve just gone straight downhill. Amazing they’re still in business.

  • Frozenbizkit

    Likely a standalone HMD that I wont care about.

  • Geoff

    It will be a new carry case for the Vive

    • xyzs

      LoL

  • Geoff

    I know one thing. Facebook have cornered the home market with the Quest 2. Cheap and not bad with a great store. Downsides are it can not be purchased in quantity for businesses or education unless you want to pay treble per headset to remove the Facebook account limitation, and the thing weighs a ton, even with mods. If HTC want to compete they should create a lighter headset, standalone / wireless, business friendly, cheap enough to let businesses test this “new” medium on mass and let it run any VR games like Pimax. I will buy 20 headsets if they do that with a possible 50 more if it works as it should.

  • mirak

    It kind of looks like Proton in fact.
    The camera that we see would be on the top rigth of the headset.

  • Snekertechie

    Curves to extreme levels in Gimp.. Not sure what those things are though.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d0f73b7df43f4d146fe8daa04c9b0d1ce4bad1204a80bbd00c413e2d0a6f8641.jpg