2/25/2024 0 Comments Vive app wont find my phoneI really love that it is so lightweight and have a special use case for it to demonstrate VR business applications to people who are very uncomfortable with strapping a typical HMD to their face (there are A LOT of these). A VR streaming option can/will increase sales of an HMD, so it can be worth the loss in software sales even for Meta and most certainly makes sense on the Pico 3 or Focus 3 that already come with all the necessary hardware, but on the Flow you pretty much have to change the whole concept for it to work.Īs for the customers: I’m a HTC customer, and I really liked the Flow except for the extremely limited input. And for the ultramobile, lifestyle audience they are going for, pretty much only hand tracking makes any sense, even if this means that the Flow will never be usable as a SteamVR headset.Ĭonsidering that all the software income generated from using the Flow as a streaming device would go to Valve anyway, I don’t think HTC was particularly interested in this use case in the first place. I understand why people who are interested in VR gaming would want decent hand tracking controllers, but this device was designed explicitly NOT to compete with the Quest 2, instead it tries to carve its own niche. Doesn’t sound like a particularly interesting device. You’d end up with an HMD similarly cumbersome to carry as the Quest 2, but at a much higher price, while being slower than the Quest 1. Adding tracked hand controllers similar to the Quest would pretty much tripple the volume you need to carry, more or less negating the unique selling point of the Flow. The current input solution via an Android phone doesn’t really add to that, as you are expected to carry a phone anyway and need it to power the Flow. One of the main benefits of the Flow it that it folds into a tiny package, making it ultra portable. However, given the headset’s intention as a simple and portable device, hand-tracking seems to make the most sense. There’s a good chance the two-handed input will come in the form of hand-tracking-which HTC has supported on other headsets previously-but it’s possible the company might also surprise us by adding some kind of controller accessory to the headset. Two-handed input would not only make users feel a bit more capable in the headset, but could also open up more possibilities for different apps to work on the headset without being reworked for a single controller modality. Graylin said that some form of two-handed input is in the works. But the single-handed and 3DOF nature of the ‘phone-as-a-controller’ leaves something to be desired. Image courtesy HTCVivĪs mentioned, Vive Flow also uses the attached phone for input-both as a laser pointer and touchscreen input. But if we had to guess, we’d say this capability could be limited when the headset is used with an iOS device, given Apple’s more restrictive approach to interoperability. Graylin said Vive Flow support for iPhone is on the way, though it may not offer the full set of capabilities that are possible when used with Android.Ī big part of Vive Flow’s appeal is being able to cast flat apps from your phone into the headset, making the headset a simple personal theater for watching content on Netflix, YouTube, and the like. Quest 2 isn't Worth Full Price in 2023, but This Black Friday Deal is Definitely Worth a Look For the huge number of iPhone users out there, that makes the device a non-starter, even if Flow’s unique ‘causal’ approach to VR is appealing. But not just any smartphone… only Android devices have been supported since launch. Vive Flow isn’t a fully standalone headset it must be plugged into a smartphone for both battery and input. Speaking during this week’s AWE 2022, Vive China President Alvin Wang Graylin tells Road to VR that both points are in active development and the company expects to have details to share soon. Out of the gate the product got high marks for its diminutive size, but HTC says there were two common themes in the post-launch feedback: a lack of support for iPhone and two-handed input. Vive Flow is a compact VR headset targeting casual VR users who want a portable headset for relaxation and productivity. The company says that feedback since launch has consistently been around two features, both of which it plans to address. HTC’s compact VR headset, Vive Flow, launched late last year targeting a different kind of VR user.
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