Review of virtual reality glasses HTC Vive Cosmos hands-on

Immerse yourself in the game, fly to another planet, visit the period of the existence of dinosaurs, walk along the bottom of the sea between swimming sharks - all this is no longer from the category of fantasy. Now this and much more can be done without leaving your home. Put on glasses, for example, HTC Vive Cosmos hands-on or, as they are also called, a helmet for immersion in virtual reality and everything will be possible. The time will come when virtual reality will begin to supplant our gray and not interesting real life.

VR glasses: what are they?

Virtual reality glasses are a special super modern device that can simulate any three-dimensional space with all its audiovisual features. Everything is perceived as real. The device consists of a plastic, and sometimes cardboard body, which has a built-in screen and special lenses for focusing images separately for each eye. It is thanks to this adaptive transmission, separate for each eye, that the effect of being in another reality is created, as well as tracking all head movements using sensors (gyroscope and accelerometer).

For more intensive interaction between the user and the virtual, auxiliary parts are used, for example:

• In order to navigate in 3D, a magnetometer is used - something akin to a compass.
• There is a "magnetic button" to activate the user's special abilities during the game. With its help, depending on the scenario of the game, for example, you can shoot from guns, if it's shooting, or accelerate while driving, if it's a racing track.
• An indispensable addition is, undoubtedly, the remote control, which makes it possible to easily switch settings for video applications, audio additions. With its help, the functionality of VR glasses is significantly expanded.
• For direct interaction with objects and the interior environment, a motion controller is used.
• Headphones and a microphone are already familiar elements of any reality: surround acoustics enhances three-dimensional immersion, and using the microphone you can enter voice commands or simply communicate with other participants in the game.
• In addition to direct contact devices, there are also remote ones, for example, external spatial sensors, which are located around the perimeter of the room.

Areas of use

Most often, virtual glasses are used in games and when watching 3D videos, but in fact they are relevant in many other directions:

• The so-called virtual travels are gaining popularity among users, because with their help you can visit a variety of countries, visit the jungle, walk along the seashore in cold winter, fly in a hot air balloon and all this without getting up from your favorite chair at home.
• VR glasses will become a must-have device in education, for example, in the study of medicine, history, physics and many other sciences.Such use will provide an opportunity for a more thorough immersion in research, historical eras, and experiments. It is the visualization of the object under study that encourages interest and better memorization - this is already a proven fact.
• For medicine, virtual helmets will be simply irreplaceable in the analysis and treatment of many diseases, such as phobias. There are already successful examples of VR consultations in the USA, thanks to which complex mental disorders have been cured.
• Presentations of projects using multimedia will soon become a thing of the past. It is much more realistic to imagine the project of the object, the process of its construction, making it possible to delve into it with the help of virtual immersion.

And this, of course, is not all: holding mass events with the virtual presence of remote viewers, online sales where you can present goods using VR, communication in various messengers will become vivid and unforgettable. Those who think that virtual glasses are only games for gamers are very mistaken and will be convinced of this in the near future.

Selection criteria and estimated cost

First of all, you need to decide on the device with which they will interact, as well as the affordable cost. All VR glasses are divided into 4 groups depending on what they will be connected to:

• PC or laptop;
• smartphone;
• game console;
• work autonomously without binding to the device.

Each of the types has its own characteristics, pros and cons, but they have approximately the same criteria when choosing:

• whether the parameters of the connected device are suitable for the selected glasses model (operating system, screen resolution, possible viewing angles);
• is it possible to connect additional devices to enhance immersion (connectors for external devices);
• whether the power of a PC, laptop or smartphone is sufficient to interact with VR;
• is there any additional equipment for diving (for example, a camera, special controllers).

Important!

For complete comfort during your stay in the three-dimensional dimension, you need to take care of secure fixation of the helmet on the head, take into account the peculiarities of vision (if there are problems, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of adjusting the lenses), most often manufacturers indicate the general expansion of the screen for both eyes (to calculate, you need to divide it by two).

By price

The cost depends on the complexity of the device (sensors, additional amplifiers, etc.) and the interacting device.

So, VR glasses for smartphones are the most affordable on the market at a price ($ 20-170). It is with them that it is better to start acquaintance with this type of technique. Devices for PCs and laptops are much more expensive and available to wealthy users or companies providing services. The range is between $ 500 and $ 1000. Game consoles require devices with extended functionality, so the price is $ 300-500. The most expensive are stand-alone glasses for virtual reality. Their cost reaches 3000-4000 dollars, and this makes them an unattainable dream of mere mortals. You can test them only in special Wirth salons.

HTC Vive Cosmos hands-on: overview, parameters and features

There are over 1000 different VR glasses available on the market today. HTC, Valve, Sony, Lenovo, Samsung became popular and demanded manufacturers of devices. Many manufacturers are trying their hand at high technology, for example, DJI Goggles have tested VR glasses for quadcopters, with their help you can experience a real flight of a bird and see the environment from a height.

HTC remains the most advanced virtual reality company. The new HTC Vive Cosmos hands-on model was presented this fall. Its sales have just begun in Europe. Undoubtedly, this will be the new flagship of the manufacturer, different from everything previously seen and tested.

The previously released HTC Vive Eye and the new product are fundamentally different from each other, both in design and hardware.

Cosmos hands-on is recognized as the highest resolution VR headset of 2800 * 1700 pixels in commercial use. Display diagonal 3.4 inches using RGB LCD. There are not only white, but also blue, red and green LEDs for backlighting. This improves the color rendering properties, brightness and contrast of images. The refresh rate of the screen is 90 Hz, it takes a lot of power to turn all these pixels on at 90 frames per second.

There is no external tracking in this model. Everything is inside the helmet, which makes it quite heavy. As an internal tracking device, the device is equipped with 6 cameras, which are responsible for tracking the environment and controllers. They are assisted by a conventional G-sensor and a gyroscope. The controllers themselves are equipped with a separate LED backlight, which facilitates tracking in the dark, as well as its own G-sensor and gyroscope. Each controller needs 2 AA batteries to power it.

Design

The updated look is admirable. Convenient and durable mounts comfortably fix the helmet to the head. The new straps are heavily weighted so that they are loaded evenly, significantly reducing fatigue during extended wear.

There is a hinged visor with which you can easily enter and exit virtual reality without removing the device. In this headset, everything is thought out to the smallest detail, even the fact that in an active game the player sweats, and this makes the soft inserts wet. That is why they were made removable, after several sessions they can be washed and reinserted.

If we talk about the ergonomics and design of the controllers, it is worth noting that they are quite unusual at first, mostly due to their weight. Over time, after a certain period of use, the hands become accustomed to the weight and shape. Joystick controllers do an excellent job of assisting the device in creating a deep immersion in virtual reality.

The big advantage of these VR glasses is that they are modular. This means that the included earbuds can be easily swapped out for other suitable ones. In addition, the front of the headset can also be replaced with a module with IR sensors instead of cameras, and then interaction with older PC versions is possible.

HTC has partnered with Intel to develop a wireless system for the adapter. Now you no longer need to be afraid of the possibility of getting tangled in the wires during the active game and moving around the room.

Pros and cons of new items from HTC

• high resolution display;
• use of different LEDs for backlighting (not only white, but also red, blue and green), which significantly improves color rendering;
• the headset is equipped with an internal tracking system, there is no longer any need for external additions that require special placement in the room;
• the helmet itself and the controllers have a separate system of illumination and sensors, which significantly increases the accuracy of transferring movements;
• well thought-out fastening of glasses, evenly distributing the load, thereby reducing fatigue;
• the ability to adjust the lenses (important for those who have vision problems);
• can be worn with glasses;
• a hinged visor allows the user to easily control the stay in virtual reality;
• soft inserts of the case are removable, they can be easily washed between sessions;
• modular structure allows some parts to be interchanged;
• the wireless adapter frees you from wires and all the inconveniences that come with them.

• The headset is quite heavy and this creates some inconvenience at the beginning of use;
• High Cost: Vive Cosmos is not available to the average user due to its high price tag. Such a helmet can be tested only in special virtual reality salons.

Overall, the HTC Vive Cosmos hands-on will definitely stand out from others on the market with its parameters and high, advanced features. The main disadvantage will be the overpriced, due to which the demand may be low. What's the point in spending $ 600 for this model, if you can buy something a little simpler in functionality, but an order of magnitude cheaper, which means more affordable.