Hands on: Vive Flow Review

First Impressions

Vive Flow is a fascinating new step for virtual reality, packing the technology into a pair of glasses for a more portable and hassle-gratuitous experience. The design and congenital-in screen are both superb, but the reliance on the power of your smartphone leaves me unconvinced that there's a killer app or use case that can justify the steep cost.

Availability

• UK RRP: £499
• USA RRP: $499
• Europe RRP: €549

Cardinal Features

• Lightweight design: With all the tech crammed into a pair of glasses, the Catamenia only weighs 189g.
• Requires an Android smartphone: The Menstruation links up to an Android smartphone via Bluetooth in order to run apps and games.
• iii.2K screen with 75Hz refresh charge per unit: Features an impressively sharp brandish despite its small-scale size.

Introduction

HTC has announced a pair of VR glasses called the Vive Catamenia. They work merely like your average virtual reality headset with a born screen and head-tracking sensors, just in a heed-bogglingly compact device that can fit on your face as easily as a pair of glasses.

Unlike the high-end VR headsets that HTC has on offer, the Vive Menstruum does not require a gaming PC to office. Instead, the device can link up to your Android smartphone over Bluetooth in club to run a range of apps and games.

Of course, the dependency on a smartphone mean the Vive Flow are express in terms of what software they can run; think meditation apps and video streaming services rather than blockbuster VR games. This makes these new VR glasses more than akin to the now defunct Oculus Become rather than an Oculus Quest ii or Vive Creation.

The Vive Flow will launch globally on 14 October, with a steep starting price of £499 / €549 / $499. But is it worth your difficult-earned cash? HTC invited me to try out the Vive Flow alee of launch to run across what these VR glasses have to offer. And so keep reading on for my first impressions.

Design

• Packed into a pair of glasses that weigh just 189g
• Not enough room for a big bombardment
• Features a sharp 3.2K display with 75Hz refresh rate

When I say the Vive Menstruation are a pair of VR glasses, I really wasn't kidding. This wearable is far lighter and smaller than fifty-fifty the well-nigh portable VR headset, weighing just 189g which HTC proudly claims is just equally calorie-free as a chocolate bar.

It actually was a delight being able to hands slot these glasses on my face rather than have to strap on a big headset that applies uncomfortable weight to my neck. HTC has also congenital in adjustable diopter dials, which ways nearly people won't demand to clothing spectacles here, ensuring the Flow can sit affluent against your face.

An active cooling system helps to pull warm air away from your face, which is an important inclusion, equally I've often come away from other VR headsets with a sweaty face up, and would prefer that didn't happen in a public setting.

My session with the Vive Flow merely lasted for a couple of hours, only they were very comfy to wear for that time menstruum. I did have to readjust the glasses on my face to ensure a clear view every at present and so, just I reckon that's got more to practise with the face mask I was required to wearable underneath the Flow for Covid protocol – that plainly won't be an issue for the terminate user.

The glasses have their ain battery prison cell built in, just with HTC hesitant to reveal the battery life, I'g concerned they won't terminal very long independently. HTC will at to the lowest degree offer a portable ten,000mAh power bank as a carve up accompaniment that can plug into the glasses – fifty-fifty while you lot're using them – to push the stamina upward to 5 hours. But that will bulldoze up the cost even further, despite an already expensive toll bespeak.

While that'southward going to be a very difficult toll to eat because the Flow'southward performance limitations, I am very impressed past the display specs. HTC claims it features a 3.2K resolution and a 75Hz refresh rate. The screen certainly looked great while I was using the Menstruation, with images being presented with sharp item and assuming colours.

The screen even has a 100-degree field of view, creating an impressively immersive feel in one case the glasses are sitting at the top of your olfactory organ.

When watching Disney Plus with the glasses, it looked every bit if I was sitting in a movie theatre, with Curiosity'due south Black Widow displayed on a massive screen. I can see this existence a far more enjoyable fashion to picket a picture show on the get than using the brandish of your smartphone or laptop.

Y'all even get 3D spatial audio existence blasted out of the glasses. Of form, if y'all don't want to disturb people in your vicinity, you can connect the Flow up to your ain Bluetooth headphones instead.

I'g actually excited by the design of the Vive Catamenia – the glasses are far more ergonomic than a large headset and it feels far less embarrassing to have them strapped to your head, even if they do make information technology look similar I'k a character from Psychonauts 2. This could well be what the time to come of VR looks similar.

Operation

• Needs to be continued to a smartphone to function
• Limited to bones apps and games
• Aimed at lifestyle rather than gaming

There's an obvious upshot with the Vive Menstruum though, as the meaty design means you can't fit a powerful bit inside like y'all can with the Oculus Quest. This means it needs to wirelessly connect to your smartphone in order to function. Limited to the ability of your phone, y'all won't be able to play VR classics similar Superhot VR and Beat Saber.

To be fair to HTC though, it isn't positioning the Vive Flow as a rival to the Oculus Quest. In fact, it'due south not fifty-fifty considering it as a gaming platform. Instead, HTC is championing fitness and wellbeing apps equally the main apply case of the Vive Catamenia.

During my hands-on feel, I tried out a VR app chosen TRIPP. This was incredibly immersive, with brilliant lights pulsating around me and serenic music flooding my ears. It was very like shooting fish in a barrel to forget that I was sitting in an role room in London, enabling me to clear my mind and focus on my breathing.

It was certainly a relaxing experience, but I'm all the same unconvinced that these kinds of apps are enticing enough to justify the loftier £499 / €549 / $499 price. And so what else tin you lot do with the Vive Flow?

During my time with the VR glasses, I jumped into an part simulation, played a basic VR game where I blasted cannonballs at pirate ships by aiming with my head, and watched a few movies via Disney Plus.

I was pretty underwhelmed with the starting time two experiences, but I can definitely see a use example for streaming video. Y'all can essentially jump into your private cinema with whichever film or TV testify that's offered by the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus. I tin encounter myself using this if someone is hogging the house TV or I'chiliad stuck on a long flying.

Even amend, the Vive Flow tin can mirror content on your telephone. So if you want to lookout YouTube, Tik Tok or fifty-fifty your Instagram feed, and so information technology should all be good to become. I'thousand particularly great to see the likes of Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now running on the Vive Menses; HTC confirmed that this is possible, but unfortunately didn't have it set for me to try out at the hands-on issue.

Yet, there'southward a big fly in the ointment for phone mirroring, every bit only sure smartphones are supported: iPhones are a no go, and so are Android handsets that don't support HDCP two.two. HTC tells me that this rules out OnePlus and Xiaomi phones. This means you really need to double bank check whether your handset supports phone mirroring before committing to a purchase, otherwise you're arguably missing out on the Menstruation's best characteristic.

Controls

• No defended controllers bundled in
• Can use your phone to indicate, click and scroll

The Vive Menstruum does non come with any controllers, instead using your smartphone to navigate through menus. It's a smart blueprint choice by Vive, especially since it'southward pitching these VR glasses as something you can employ on the go.

You lot can make selections with your phone by pointing and clicking, while even swiping down on your telephone screen to gyre through menus. Tapping the top of your phone screen will also bring upward the settings tab so you lot can hands jump back to the homescreen.

Of grade, it's not every bit intuitive as an actual VR controller like the Oculus Touch or the Vive wand, but it does the chore competently for lifestyle apps.

There were a couple of technical hiccups that stopped the Menses responding to the inputs on my phone, but HTC was keen to remind me that this is just a beta model. I'll have to look and see until the final launch product whether all of the software kinks have been ironed out.

Initial verdict

The Vive Flow is an impressive technological feat, seeing all the specs required for virtual reality boiled down into a pair of glasses that are comfortable to wear for long stretches of time. VR spectacles are destined to replace the clunky headsets, and this looks to be our first glimpse of such applied science.

However, given the Menstruum'south functioning limitations, I'm unconvinced that there's enough on offering here to justify that incredibly expensive toll. The Oculus Go didn't see much success by chasing the lifestyle crowd, and I'm unconvinced the Vive Menstruation will fare much meliorate, even if it is more portable.

You might like…

FAQs

Do y'all need to link it to a PC?

No, the Vive Catamenia links to your smartphone over Bluetooth instead.

Are iPhones supported by the Flow?

No, the Flow will only support Android phones at launch.

Is the Vive Flow a rival to the Oculus Quest?

No, the Vive Flow lack the power to challenge the Quest, and is existence pitched as a device for meditation and wellbeing instead of gaming.

A 'easily on review' is our first impression of a product only - it is not a full examination and verdict. Our writer must have spent some fourth dimension with the product to describe an early on sense of what it'due south like to utilise. We phone call these 'easily on reviews' to brand them visible in search. However these are e'er unscored and don't requite recommendations. Read more almost our reviews policy.

Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/vive-flow

Posted by: gilmandulaying78.blogspot.com

Share this post