MWC: HTC Vive VR headset takes on Oculus Rift

Firm argues you need to get hands on if you want to get people into virtual reality

By Alastair Stevenson

BARCELONA: TAIWANESE TECH FIRM HTC has moved to woo developers to its Vive headset, claiming it to be the only product capable of creating a “truly immersive” virtual reality (VR) experience.

HTC lead designer Claude Zellweger told The INQUIRER that the Vive outperforms all the competition, including Oculus Rift.

“There are different levels of immersion [with VR]. This is not me judging, it’s just an explanation of the level of the playing field,” he said.

“At the bottom you have Google Card VR, which sits on your phone and tracks your movements. It’s not a real VR experience.

“Then you have things like the Gear which sit in the middle. Then you have Oculus at the high end. We’re slotting slightly above them targeting the high end.”

HTC simultaneously unveiled the Vive at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Read the whole story here.