HTC has been reluctant to share Cosmos details for some time now. This morning, they finally broke some news loose. The information we were given is not everything we expected, but it is certainty enough to hold us over for a few more weeks.
Vive has confirmed that the resolution on this headset will be coming form an LCD display with a combined resolution of 2880×1700 (or better stated as 1440×1770 per eye). Along with this, HTC has also announced that the Vive Cosmos will be working at a constant rate of 90 frames per second, a number we can tip our hats to.
Coming up on the heals of the modular announcements from last week, we can see HTC is moving quickly to get the headset information to the masses. We also have recently learned that the flip-up design that we have waited for will be featured with the Cosmos. The flip-up design is for those who are looking to leave the headset on while interacting and seeing the real world. The ring that stays on your head all remain intact while the display of the headset is flipped onto the top of the users head.
HTC has also announced that one of the mods that will be shipped with the Cosmos is the additional cameras that you will be able to attach to the headset. Although this will not be the only modification available to the headset, this is the only one we know of right now. HTC is planning on making the Cosmos a headset that grow with you and time going forward. If you visit the Vive website and go to the Cosmos, this is what they have stated regarding the “modular customization”.
“Future-proof your VR experience with modular customization. The virtual universe is always expanding; VIVE Cosmos was designed to expand with it. With an ever-increasing suite of mods on the horizon, the possibilities for VR are endless.”
From this we can understand what their plan with the Cosmos is. Launch this headset, and have hardware updates constantly flowing in, making the headset more futuristic every update. Of course you will not be forced to use these mods if you do not want to, they are going o put this headset ahead of the pack consistently.
Although many people believe this will be updates to simply improve gameplay, we believe that they may take an entirely different approach. The headset is already going to feature inside-out tracking right out of the box, but we know that this is still a PC virtual reality headset. You can only do so much with a wire connected to the back of your head.
HTC could make mods that allow the Cosmos to be completely standalone. They could possibly add a module that is a long-lasting battery that can disconnect you from your PC, or even a Snapdragon Processor. The possibilities to make this headset better are endless, and only Vive knows the plans for right now.
With HTC Vive already bringing the Vive Focus into play, it is hard to see the company making the Cosmos another standalone headset. The Vive Focus is an enterprise headset, and the Cosmos is a consumer-based, consumer-friendly headset. We know that the Oculus Quest has a large chunk of its sales come from people that are just getting into virtual reality, and that is largely because of the simplicity of the setup, the lack of gaming PC needed, and the ease of sharing the headset. This, so far, is something that HTC has yet to emulate. Hopefully they copy the same plan going down the road.
