HTC (Photo : Reuters)
HTC, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer has joined the wearable and virtual-reality market after it unveiled two of its flagship devices at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The Grip is the company's first ever wearable device and the Vibe is the company's developer version for its virtual-reality headset.
HTC's smart wearable device has been highly anticipated after the company signed a partnership with Under Armour, an American company that supplies smart wearable devices along with clothing to the United States military.
The Vive headset however was a big surprise from the company. This device was a result of the company's partnership with Valve, the company that owns the Steam games platform. HTC aims to rival the Gear VR developed and manufactured by Samsung.
According to Sunday Morning Herald, the Vive is a stand-along virtual-reality device that is close resembles Oculus Rift and the device also come in with two controllers. The report added that the Vive will have a sport a "full-room-scale 360-degree solution, a feature that has 70 sensors that will allow users to walk around in order to closely inspect object within the virtual-reality platform.
HTC executive director of global marketing Jeff Gattis said that the Vive will have a 90Hz refresh rate which will hinder users from getting motion sickness, a common side-effect of most virtual-reality devices. Gattis added, "We're confident to say that HTC Vibe will reset the industry standard."
According to CNet, the HTC Grip is not a smartwatch but rather a fitness wearable. Despite being announced as a fitness device, the device still has features including calendar notification, email, messages and phone functions.
HTC has yet to release an official release date as well as price range for its upcoming devices.
