HTC Vive
| HTC Vive | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR |
| Creator | HTC, Valve Corporation |
| Developer | HTC, Valve Corporation |
| Manufacturer | HTC |
| Announcement Date | March 1, 2015 (MWC) |
| Release Date | April 5, 2016 |
| Price | $799 |
| Website | https://www.vive.com/ |
| Versions | HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pre (developer kit) |
| Requires | Gaming PC with HDMI/DisplayPort, USB |
| Predecessor | Valve VR prototype (Room) |
| Successor | HTC Vive Pro |
| System | |
| Operating System | Windows, Linux (via SteamVR) |
| Chipset | N/A (tethered PCVR) |
| CPU | N/A (PC-powered) |
| GPU | N/A (PC-powered) |
| Storage | |
| Storage | N/A |
| Memory | N/A |
| SD Card Slot | No |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual OLED (PenTile) |
| Subpixel Layout | PenTile Diamond |
| Peak Brightness | ~80 nits |
| Resolution | 1080 × 1200 per eye (2160 × 1200 combined) |
| Pixel Density | ~11 PPD |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz |
| Persistence | Low persistence |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 110° |
| Horizontal FoV | ~110° |
| Vertical FoV | ~110° |
| Average Pixel Density | ~11 PPD |
| Peak Pixel Density | ~11 PPD |
| Foveated Rendering | No |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Fresnel lenses |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| IPD Range | 60.8-74.6mm (mechanical adjustment) |
| Adjustable Diopter | No (glasses compatible) |
| Passthrough | Yes (front-facing camera, grayscale) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF outside-in (Lighthouse/SteamVR Tracking) |
| Tracking Frequency | 1000Hz (base stations) |
| Base Stations | Required (2× Lighthouse 1.0) |
| Eye Tracking | No |
| Face Tracking | No |
| Hand Tracking | No |
| Body Tracking | Via VIVE Trackers (accessory) |
| Rotational Tracking | Yes |
| Positional Tracking | Yes |
| Update Rate | 1000Hz (tracking) |
| Tracking Volume | 12 ft × 12 ft (standard room-scale) |
| Play Space | Roomscale |
| Latency | <22ms motion-to-photon |
| Audio | |
| Audio | None built-in (earbuds included, headphones optional) |
| Microphone | Yes (integrated) |
| 3.5mm Audio Jack | Yes |
| Camera | 1× front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | HDMI, USB 2.0 |
| Ports | HDMI 1.4, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio, DC power |
| Wired Video | Yes (HDMI) |
| Wireless Video | Yes (VIVE Wireless Adapter, aftermarket) |
| WiFi | No |
| Bluetooth | Via base stations |
| Power | Link Box powered |
| Battery Capacity | N/A |
| Battery Life | N/A (tethered) |
| Charge Time | N/A |
| Device | |
| Dimensions | ~200mm × 130mm × 110mm |
| Weight | 555g (headset only) |
| Material | Plastic |
| Headstrap | Elastic strap with velcro |
| Haptics | Controller haptics |
| Color | Black |
| Sensors | Lighthouse tracking photodiodes, IMU, front camera, proximity sensor |
| Input | VIVE Controllers (wands) |
| Compliance | FCC, CE |
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The HTC Vive is a PC VR head-mounted display jointly developed by HTC and Valve Corporation, announced at Mobile World Congress on March 1, 2015, and released on April 5, 2016 at a price of $799. The Vive pioneered consumer room-scale virtual reality, allowing users to physically walk around a tracked play space up to 12 feet × 12 feet while interacting with virtual environments using two wireless motion-tracked controllers. The headset utilized Valve's revolutionary "Lighthouse" tracking system, which employed external base stations emitting invisible infrared lasers to achieve sub-millimeter positional accuracy without requiring markers or cameras pointed at the user. Along with the Oculus Rift CV1 (released a week earlier), the HTC Vive launched the first generation of high-end consumer VR, establishing SteamVR as a major VR platform and demonstrating that room-scale VR was the future of the medium.
History and Development
Valve's VR Research
Valve had been researching VR since 2012:
- Internal "Room" prototype with external tracking
- Shared research with Oculus before Facebook acquisition
- Developed Lighthouse tracking technology
- Needed hardware partner for manufacturing
HTC Partnership
HTC partnered with Valve in early 2015:
- Valve provided tracking technology and platform
- HTC manufactured hardware
- Both companies brought expertise
- Strategic timing as HTC's phone business declined
Mobile World Congress 2015
Vive unveiled at MWC Barcelona:
- Surprise announcement
- Room-scale VR emphasized
- Developer edition promised
- Strong industry reaction
Vive Pre
Developer kit released December 2015:
- Second-generation prototype
- Improved design over original dev kits
- Camera added to front
- Refined for consumer release
Consumer Launch
April 5, 2016 launch:
- $799 complete kit
- One week after Oculus Rift CV1
- Strong demand, shipping delays
- Room-scale as differentiator
Design Philosophy
Room-Scale First
Designed around room-scale VR:
- Walking around physical space
- Full-body movement
- Physical interaction with environments
- Beyond seated/standing experiences
Lighthouse Tracking
Revolutionary tracking approach:
- External base stations
- Sub-millimeter accuracy
- Large tracking volume
- Reliable and consistent
Complete System
$799 included everything needed:
- Headset with integrated sensors
- Two Lighthouse base stations
- Two tracked motion controllers
- Cables and mounting hardware
Display Technology
Dual OLED Panels
Two OLED displays:
- Resolution: 1080 × 1200 per eye
- Total: 2160 × 1200
- Panel Type: OLED with PenTile Diamond
- Refresh Rate: 90Hz
OLED Characteristics
First-gen OLED VR:
- True black levels
- Good contrast
- Visible screen door effect
- PenTile subpixel arrangement
Refresh Rate
90Hz standard:
- Matched Rift CV1
- Established as VR standard
- Smooth motion
- Low persistence
Low Persistence
OLED switching speed enabled:
- Motion blur reduction
- Clearer images during head movement
- Essential for comfort
Optical System
Fresnel Lenses
First-generation Fresnel optics:
- Wide field of view
- God rays visible
- Concentric ring artifacts
- Industry standard at the time
Field of View
Wide viewing area:
- Total: ~110°
- Excellent immersion
- Good peripheral visibility
- Competitive advantage
IPD Adjustment
Physical lens separation:
- Range: 60.8-74.6mm
- Knob adjustment on headset
- Wide user accommodation
Lighthouse Tracking
Technology
Revolutionary tracking system:
- External base stations ("Lighthouses")
- Sweep visible play area with IR lasers
- Timing-based position calculation
- Sensors on headset and controllers
Base Station Design
Lighthouse 1.0 specifications:
- Two spinning motors per station
- Vertical and horizontal laser sweeps
- IR LED array for sync
- Requires power, no data cable
Tracking Volume
- Standard: 12 ft × 12 ft (15 ft diagonal)
- Two base stations required
- Requires line-of-sight
- Sub-millimeter accuracy
Advantages
Over camera-based tracking:
- No latency from image processing
- Works in any lighting
- Multiple headsets simultaneously (enterprise)
- Highly reliable
VIVE Controllers
Wand Design
First-generation tracked controllers:
- Ring of sensors for tracking
- Circular trackpad (Steam Controller style)
- Trigger
- Grip buttons
- Menu and system buttons
- Haptic feedback
Controller Tracking
Full 6DoF tracking:
- Same Lighthouse technology
- Wireless Bluetooth connection
- Rechargeable batteries
- USB charging
Interaction Model
Natural VR interaction:
- Point at objects
- Grab and throw
- Two-handed manipulation
- Physical presence in VR
Physical Design
Headset Construction
First-generation design:
- Plastic housing
- Multiple cable tethers
- Front-facing camera
- Visible sensor arrays
Head Strap
Basic elastic strap:
- Three-point attachment
- Velcro adjustments
- Adequate but improvable
- Deluxe Audio Strap accessory later
Cable Management
Three-in-one cable to Link Box:
- HDMI
- USB
- Power
- Link Box connects to PC
Weight
- 555g headset only
- Front-heavy design
- Pressure on face
Front Camera
Passthrough System
Single camera for real-world view:
- Grayscale image
- Low resolution
- Chaperone system integration
- Triggered at boundaries
Chaperone (Guardian)
Boundary system:
- Draw play area during setup
- Visual grid appears at edges
- Camera view available
- Essential safety feature
Audio
No Built-In Audio
Original Vive shipped without headphones:
- Earbuds included in box
- 3.5mm jack on headset
- BYOH (bring your own headphones)
- Deluxe Audio Strap added integrated audio later
Deluxe Audio Strap
Accessory released 2017:
- Integrated headphones
- Better head strap
- Improved comfort
- Added cost
VIVE Tracker
Body Tracking Accessory
Released 2017:
- Small Lighthouse-tracked puck
- Attach to body, objects, accessories
- Full-body tracking possible
- Third-party peripheral support
Software Platform
SteamVR
Valve's VR platform:
- Steam integration
- Large game library
- Cross-headset compatibility
- Regular updates
OpenVR
Valve's VR SDK:
- Open to other headsets
- Industry-standard API
- Developer-friendly
Viveport
HTC's content platform:
- Alternative to Steam
- Viveport Infinity subscription
- Enterprise-focused content
Commercial Impact
Room-Scale Revolution
Vive established room-scale VR:
- Physical movement in VR
- Standard for future headsets
- Changed expectations
Market Competition
Healthy rivalry with Oculus:
- Both companies pushed innovation
- Different tracking approaches
- Price competition
- Content investments
Enterprise Adoption
Strong in enterprise/business:
- Training applications
- Design visualization
- Professional simulation
- B2B focus for HTC
Successors
Vive Pro (2018)
Professional upgrade:
- Higher resolution
- Integrated audio
- Blue color
- Same Lighthouse tracking
Later Evolution
- Vive Pro 2 (2021)
- Vive Cosmos (2019) - inside-out
- Vive Focus series - standalone
Legacy
Industry Impact
Vive influenced all subsequent VR:
- Room-scale as standard
- External tracking refined
- Motion controllers expected
- SteamVR ecosystem established
Lighthouse Licensing
Valve licensed Lighthouse to others:
- Pimax headsets
- Varjo headsets
- Third-party accessories
- Ecosystem growth
Technical Specifications Summary
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | Dual OLED, 1080 × 1200 per eye |
| Total Resolution | 2160 × 1200 |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz |
| FOV | ~110° |
| Tracking | Lighthouse 1.0 (outside-in) |
| Controllers | VIVE Wand controllers |
| Play Space | Up to 12 ft × 12 ft |
| Audio | None built-in |
| Weight | 555g |
| Connection | HDMI, USB 2.0 |
| Price | $799 (complete kit) |