The HTC Vive Cosmos is the last major headset to be released of this calendar year. When the year started, we were expecting at least 4 major headsets to be released. With that being said, it was not understood that Oculus would be releasing two headsets at the same time, the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest. We have already had those two, the Valve Index, and the Reverb released this year, so we already met our mark of 4 major headsets. This has been done without the help of HTC Vive, who is planning on releasing the Vive Cosmos this fall.
It was uncertain for a few months the plan of the Cosmos, but we were sure that they wanted to get another headset out there to the consumer market. They have been very quiet about what they are going to be doing with this headset, and they have yet to release a price. Although the price will likely be revealed tomorrow, it is interesting that they won’t release the price even a day early. There has been a great amount of speculation of what they plan to price this headset, as they are going to have to find a happy medium between the Rift S $400, and the Valve Index $1,000.
To find this medium price, they are going to have to deliver an experience near the Index, but at a much cheaper price tag. They have incorporated the inside-out tracking on this headset for the first time in a Vive headset, but is that going to improve the experience? The Index is regular Steam tracked and it works perfectly. Other than the initial setup, there is no extra steps from playing on that or the inside-out tranced Rift S. With that being said, it is important to note that the Steam tracking is lightyears better than the inside-out tracking that the Rift S provides.
The Vive Cosmos is going to be powered by your PC, but there has been rumblings about the headset being able to function with a wireless connection to a laptop or a mobile device. Although it is unsure on the specs of the connectivity of the headset and where it will be pulling power from, the headset is going to very powerful. Vive Cosmos is being anticipated to focus on the gaming consumers of the world.
A pure gaming headset for over $500 with inside-out tracking and odd looking controllers is going to be hard to justify, and it if it wasn’t for the loyalty and good will HTC and built up in the VR industry, it is unsure if this headset would be worth testing out and buying. Luckily for you people are still skeptical about this headset and what is going to be included with it, we are going to have our hands on it very quickly. We will be releasing a full in-depth review of this headset in the near future, in time for you to make the decision of spending your money on a near thousand dollar piece of gaming equipment.
It is also unsure if HTC is planning on making the mods a part of the headset still. There was substantial rumors that the headset was going to be able to “grow with you as the industry grows”, but it hasn’t seem to make an appearance after the initial announcement from the HTC Vive blog. For more VR news and big industry updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
