HTC has announced its latest VR headset, the Vive Flow, in a new slim form factor, about the size of a pair of sunglasses with a number of health and wellness initiatives in mind. The brand has collaborated with several content partners, including Tripp, a platform that aims to bring personalized mindfulness and meditation experiences to VR, and MyndVR another platform that develops VR experiences for older adults with age-related ailments.
Specs for the Vive Flow include two 2.1-inch LCD displays with a 1600 x 1600 resolution and 75Hz refresh rate. Users are able to set the VR glasses to video pass-through so they can see their surroundings. The headset also includes two 6DoF tracking cameras. Audio features include stereo speakers with spatial audio, dual microphones with echo and noise cancellation, and Bluetooth 5.0 headphone support. Connectivity features include USB-C and Wi-Fi.
While the VR glasses require an external power bank, they connect to an Android smartphone, which then becomes its controller, after which head movements largely direct the experience. The Tripp mindfulness exercise I tested delivered a very interesting calming experience of moving through space without the uncomfortable feeling some may get when being in VR.
“We’ve spent countless hours tuning to create that effect where we can make you feel like you’re floating up, and that you’re moving forward, where you might be falling back, but we’re doing it in a way where the overwhelming majority are not even going to be fazed,” Tripp Chief Business Officer, Mani Srinivasan told TechieSupreme.
“That’s the amazing thing when you have the right design, when you are using newer devices because the device has a big factor. HTC has spent countless hours trying to control for a lot of this too, and coming together we think it’s gonna make for something really helpful for people and fun,” he added.
The Vive Flow is currently available for preorder for $499 and will be available in November, but its collaborators have already been developing their platforms with other VR hardware, including Occulus Quest 2 and PlayStation VR. Both Tripp and MyndVR are involved with various research initiatives, in addition to consumer interest, with the former delving into studies based on addiction and other forms of mental illness, and the latter focusing on easing on the degenerative effects of aging.
“When we talk about a headset like this, with the lightweight factor of this. This is 186 grams, less weight than a King James slim version bible that [an older person] would pick up and read. We’ve already had a breakthrough on headsets. This takes it to another level,” MyndVR CEO and Co-Founder, Chris Brickler told TS.
The technology, science and research, and the awareness of VR all come together to make partnerships like those between HTC and MyndVR possible. Over 10,000 people turn 65-years-old daily in the U.S. and health and aging conditions, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s are on the rise. Efforts to make the quality of life better for seniors and their families are favorable.
Many older people are more familiar than ever before with technologies, such as VR due to commercials and seeing grandchildren using headsets. Brickler said approximately 90 percent of people in a senior living community audience have an idea of what VR is, compared to three to four years ago when many one of two would. The company also offers at-home solutions for families taking care of older relatives.
MyndVR also launched on HTC VivePort with the announcement of the Vive Flow, its own immersive original series called A Road to Remember, which simulates a trip down the iconic Route 66.
“This is reminiscence therapy. An 80-year-old person who went on this trip forty years ago, who might have dementia now. You take them back to the first time on this road trip, they’re flooded with memories,” Brickler said.
