HP is teaming up with Valve and Microsoft in what is being widely touted as the next standard in virtual reality (VR) headsets.
It has been a year since HP released its Reverb VR headset and now it would seem that a follow-up is imminent. The company has partnered with Valve and tech giant Microsoft to develop their new next-generation VR headset.
The next standard in VR headsets?
The news came in the form of a video posted on Steam and the announcement couldn’t have come at a better time as the year’s most anticipated virtual reality game title“Half-Life: Alyx” has finally been released.
In fact, the announcement was made alongside the release of “Half-Life: Alyx,”a game that is said to have been built around virtual reality from the ground up.
While details concerning the new VR headset are scant, HP said the new VR headset will be the “next standard in VR.”
The company also revealed that “no compromises” were made during the development of the headset. With such lofty claims, it is expected that the new VR headset won’t just be an entry-level device. Such claims might mean a tremendous upgrade in the processing power of the new VR headset when compared to the Reverb.
Since HP has partnered with Valve and Microsoft, it is highly likely that the new VR headset will support both SteamVR and Windows Mixed Reality.
According to the official product synopsis featured on Steam:“The next generation HP Virtual Reality HMD–developed in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft–delivers an immersive, comfortable and compatible VR experience. It’s the new standard in VR.”
A follow-up on the Reverb
The image shared on the Steam gaming store shows that HP’s new VR headset is similar to the Reverb, appearance-wise. This means that the headset won’t be a new product but rather a follow-up to the already existing Reverb headset.
While the design and aesthetics of the Reverb are modest at best, the product did come with an impressive 2160 x 2160 pixels per eye which is definitely more than the Vive Pro, a product seen as its closest competitor.
In HP’s Reverb, the company focused more on its commercial clients. It will be interesting to see whether or not the company will retain such focus on the new VR headset or if they will follow a more consumer-friendly path. Since the company has partnered with Valve and Microsoft, it seems the answer is more attuned to the latter.
No details yet on release date and pricing
No details regarding the price and release date were given. Since the headset will most likely be more than an entry-level device, one can expect a higher-priced VR headset.
Furthermore, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing back the development of several other Valve products, it is not impossible for HP to push back the release of their next-generation VR headset to a much later date.
Images and video courtesy of HP, YouTube/gamefront