Vive Cosmos

Legend · 2 Feb 2019 at 14:13

Didn't see a thread on this...

https://www.vive.com/uk/cosmos/

Intrigued to see how this shapes up. Scant info currently, although the claim of "sharpest screens yet" is interesting, although resolution isn't known yet. I sold my OG Vive some time ago, and never really got used to the screen door effect.

I'm not sure how the lack of base stations will impact the motion sickness issue, which in my experience has typically been more of a problem on standalone VR given it cannot orient your exact head position in 3D space. But I guess in theory if they've figured out how to do that within the headset, it should be fine (hopefully).

The single cable connection to PC will also make things easier, and I prefer the look of the controllers. They're clearly following Oculus here, which is no bad thing. I was never a big fan of the original Valve controllers... these seem more intuitive.

Hopefully price isn't too horrendous!

ukxenon · 3 Feb 2019 at 11:45

looks interesting but need more info...

deuse · 4 Feb 2019 at 06:37

ukxenon said:
looks interesting but need more info...

GBRusty · 4 Feb 2019 at 07:43

Is that your way of saying +1

?

Looks intriguing but is possibly aimed at the more casual market? I think if we're nerdy enough to frequent a VR forum we like the top quality stuff

Legend · 4 Feb 2019 at 14:18

GBRusty said:
Is that your way of saying +1 ?

Looks intriguing but is possibly aimed at the more casual market? I think if we're nerdy enough to frequent a VR forum we like the top quality stuff

Why 'casual' exactly? If it features their sharpest screens yet, the tracking works on a par with the base stations, and the controllers offer an improved experience (which it looks like they will), not to mention the use of the VirtualLink VR Port which seems likely with a single cable connection... is there a reason why it won't be "top quality"?

GBRusty · 5 Feb 2019 at 08:53

I've yet to be swayed with the inside out tracking.

But I speak glibbly and shall await the actual specs and reviews before casting judgement

Calo · 20 May 2019 at 15:34

Still no update on this thing. Has Rift S, Quest and Index scared it away?

From their website today, they're still touting:
"Our sharpest screens yet"
"Real RGB displays"

Both of these statements can be true even if its at the same resolution as the Vive Pro, but using a RGB stripe layout instead.

That's my big worry here, I suspect it's not really going to be pushing boundaries. My guess is the silence is more around their price point. They probably wanted to sell this thing for £600 but see Oculus doing theirs for £400 a piece with, basically, the same offering. (assuming the Cosmos can be run with a powerful smartphone, which puts it on the same level as a Quest)

I sure hope they bring something special to the party.

Grim5 · 26 May 2019 at 04:51

Rift feature set plus 2160x2160 screens is all it needs.

The rift S screens are a bit blurry as the resolution is too low.

This doesn’t compete wit Index because index requires base stations and therefore a larger space is required

aoaaron · 26 May 2019 at 15:32

It just looks like a mess of a product tbh.

Sounds like the best screen tech. But then you hear rumours of it being a standalone device or the ability to function as that.. but we all know HTC and Valve do not have the software optimisation skills of Oculus.

I think given HTC's pricing scheme, this will trade blows with the Index, not the Rift S. The Rift S price point is so competitive.

Grim5 · 26 May 2019 at 19:33

aoaaron said:
It just looks like a mess of a product tbh.

Sounds like the best screen tech. But then you hear rumours of it being a standalone device or the ability to function as that.. but we all know HTC and Valve do not have the software optimisation skills of Oculus.

I think given HTC's pricing scheme, this will trade blows with the Index, not the Rift S. The Rift S price point is so competitive.

I agree I was on the rift s order page and was pleasantly surprised at the currency converted price, it’s indeed very competitive. I also belive the cosmos and index will both be much higher priced. The only reason I don’t see the index and cosmos as competitors is that if I could I would buy the index, but as I’m unable to use base stations I have to go with inside out tracking. The base station tracking is always best and I see the cosmos as a device for those who can’t use the index - also I can’t see a price for the index, on the order page it just says “not available in your country” so they don’t want our money anyway

CuriousTomCat · 2 Jun 2019 at 21:30

Grim5 said:
I agree I was on the rift s order page and was pleasantly surprised at the currency converted price, it’s indeed very competitive. I also belive the cosmos and index will both be much higher priced. The only reason I don’t see the index and cosmos as competitors is that if I could I would buy the index, but as I’m unable to use base stations I have to go with inside out tracking. The base station tracking is always best and I see the cosmos as a device for those who can’t use the index - also I can’t see a price for the index, on the order page it just says “not available in your country” so they don’t want our money anyway

The Valve Index costs £919.00 and I wouldn't be surprised if the Cosmos has a similar price tag since they'll be competing against each other.

Due to it's low asking price of £389.99, the Rift S will likely compete with next gen Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Although since the HP Reverb costs £598.80, the Rift S is sat comfortably in a price tier of it's own.

aoaaron · 3 Jun 2019 at 21:58

Grim5 said:
Rift feature set plus 2160x2160 screens is all it needs.

The rift S screens are a bit blurry as the resolution is too low.

This doesn’t compete wit Index because index requires base stations and therefore a larger space is required

It competes with whoever it is priced against. If the HTC cosmos is priced near the Index price, then its competing with the Index.

I just don't trust HTC to price it at 399.99 as a complete package.

The Rift S at 399.99 is just astounding when you think about it. And Oculus will be the first company to do a price cut too.

Legend · 4 Jun 2019 at 01:16

It's going to largely depend what screens they use, and where it lands price wise. I've seen suggestions that the Cosmo could use the HP Reverb's dual 2160 x 2160 solution. If it does, then things could get interesting. The Index uses dual 1440×1600 obviously. Not that resolution is the only thing that matters, but it's still going to be a massive deciding factor for many.

I can't see the Cosmos targeting Oculus. I don't think it's possible for them to get anywhere close to that performance/price ratio, especially when they've already said it will feature their "sharpest screens yet". I think that clearly points to this being a top end headset that will want to compete with the Index... if not, it's hard to see where it would even sit in the marketplace.

Grim5 · 4 Jun 2019 at 01:22

It is for me

The only VR headset I own is the psvr and if I buy a pc headset I want a large resolution upgrade. Over the weekend I went to try on some of the existing ones on the market and the stuff around 1400 X xxxx doesn’t blow me away. 2160x2160 or more is what I need to be satisfied

I’m over the vr honeymoon period and need a big boost in many areas especially image quality and clarity to get a purchase

Legend · 4 Jun 2019 at 02:22

It'll be great if they can leverage those 2160 x 2160 screens... it's just curious HTC have been so quiet since announcing the Cosmos' existence. That could be for any number of reasons, but hopefully we get more info soon. Seems logical they'd want to steal some of Valve's thunder if they DO have a product that's going to compete with the Index, and if that's the case they'll surely want to be putting out more info in the next couple months or so.

silvagti · 4 Jun 2019 at 20:59

Grim5 said:
I’m over the vr honeymoon period and need a big boost in many areas especially image quality and clarity to get a purchase

Likewise though admittedly I've just bought an Oculus Quest as I appreciate it being wireless and portable.

I'm seriously disappointed we have all these super expensive PCVR headsets coming out and we still aren't even at the stage where 4K is the standard in 2019. Only the HP Reverb hits that mark and being Windows mixed reality means I don't personally view it as being worth spending the money on given the lack of support that platform is recieving!

aoaaron · 6 Jun 2019 at 01:12

Legend said:
It'll be great if they can leverage those 2160 x 2160 screens... it's just curious HTC have been so quiet since announcing the Cosmos' existence. That could be for any number of reasons, but hopefully we get more info soon. Seems logical they'd want to steal some of Valve's thunder if they DO have a product that's going to compete with the Index, and if that's the case they'll surely want to be putting out more info in the next couple months or so.

i think their product is going to sit between the quest and the index but for the index's price in classic HTC fashion.

i don't see how they really fit into the VR game anymore. Oculus have taken the low end/mid range. valve have set up camp at the high end. both big boys are offering exclusive games, one of them offering a portable VR solution with a dedicated store and the other has best in class/next-gen controllers and refresh rates.

i dont see HTC matching the controllers or the price point of oculus.

Grim5 · 6 Jun 2019 at 01:18

aoaaron said:
i think their product is going to sit between the quest and the index but for the index's price in classic HTC fashion.

i don't see how they really fit into the VR game anymore. Oculus have taken the low end/mid range. valve have set up camp at the high end. both big boys are offering exclusive games, one of them offering a portable VR solution with a dedicated store and the other has best in class/next-gen controllers and refresh rates.

i dont see HTC matching the controllers or the price point of oculus.

Assuming you are correct and the Index is currently the only big boy offering - then there is still an open spot in the market. The Index uses lighthouses and so there is nothing that fits the Big Boy and Inside our Tracking market (the market I care about). There is the Reverb but that’s not a big boy product by any stretch

xxalxx · 6 Jun 2019 at 02:04

Index has targeted the mid-range. Top end is currently the realm of Pimax with HP dipping its toes in there.

Oculus are not stupid, with the associated hardware costs to get the mid to high range working correctly the major growth in the VR sector will all be at the entry to lower mid range and they positioned the RiftS to dominate that area, which it will. I cant work out why Valve did not increase the resolution on the Index, sure it will dominate the mid-range, but it will always be stuck in the middle ground because of the panel, unless ofc in 12 months, Index2 releases with new panels.

What VR needs is for the gfx card makers to get back to reality and release some cards offering performance at a realistic cost for the mainstream.

aoaaron · 6 Jun 2019 at 08:27

xxalxx said:
Index has targeted the mid-range. Top end is currently the realm of Pimax with HP dipping its toes in there.

Oculus are not stupid, with the associated hardware costs to get the mid to high range working correctly the major growth in the VR sector will all be at the entry to lower mid range and they positioned the RiftS to dominate that area, which it will. I cant work out why Valve did not increase the resolution on the Index, sure it will dominate the mid-range, but it will always be stuck in the middle ground because of the panel, unless ofc in 12 months, Index2 releases with new panels.

What VR needs is for the gfx card makers to get back to reality and release some cards offering performance at a realistic cost for the mainstream.

I just think of Pimax as experimental and not sure if its really consumer grade.

As far as I'm aware, the HP reverb is priced lower than the Index and in most reviews, has proven inferior as an experience?

I don't think Valve are going to release an Index2 in 12 months.

I think before VR needs graphics cards makers, VR needs more AAA games. I'm still wondering why am I paying £1k to play job simulator, beat saber and skyrim VR.