The Vive Pro Eye professional-grade VR system is now available to purchase for $1,599 at Vive.com and select retailers
Global spending on AR/VR is projected to hit $160 billion in 2023 according to IDC with the majority of this accelerating demand is coming from commercial investment. So HTC Vive is launching the newest professional grade virtual reality system, Vive Pro Eye.
The Vive Pro Eye features the latest in eye tracking technology and sets a new standard for enterprise VR to allow for more realistic training scenarios and better user feedback and analytics. Industries are already using the Vive Pro Eye including for training and simulation which use gaze-oriented navigation. Here is HTC Vive’s press release:
Seattle, WA – June 6, 2019 – HTC VIVE®, the leader in premium virtual reality (VR), announced today that VIVE Pro Eye is now on sale in North America, retailing for $1,599 USD on Vive.com and at select retailers. The Vive Pro Eye, unveiled earlier this year at CES 2019, features the latest in eye tracking technology and sets a new standard for enterprise VR. Companies from multiple industries are already using Vive Pro Eye for numerous benefits including training and simulation, consumer feedback and analytics, and gaze-oriented navigation, among many more.
The next-generation solution for enterprise-grade VR
Building on the design of the award-winning Vive Pro, the Vive Pro Eye was created with the needs of the professional user in mind. Benefits of Vive Pro Eye’s eye tracking functionality include:
- Precision Eye Tracking: Create more expressive avatars for immersive virtual interactions in meeting and collaboration tools.
- Dynamic Training Environments: Simulate real-life scenarios and provide users with intelligent performance feedback.
- Deeper Data Analysis: Capture real-time user feedback through heatmapping and gaze tracking to gain insight into user behaviour and decision processes.
- Intuitive User Experiences: Enable gaze-orientated menu navigation to remove the need for controllers and boost convenience of use in environments such as VR arcades or location-based entertainment.
- Increased Efficiency and Quality: Experience the benefits of foveated rendering to focus GPU power on exactly where the user is looking to increase computing efficiency and image quality.
The Vive Pro Eye takes advantage of SteamVR™ 2.0 tracking technology to enable flexible demo spaces ranging from seated experiences to full 10m x 10m room-scale for multi-user environments. Delivering industry leading performance, the headset features dual-OLED displays with a combined resolution of 2880 x 1600 pixels and improved headphone design.
“We’ve taken our go-to VR solution for businesses, the Vive Pro, and improved it further with integrated eye tracking. The Vive Pro Eye takes this technology one step further as the demands for enterprise-grade VR continue to grow and evolve,” said Dan O’Brien, GM, HTC Americas. “From more effective training to more insightful data analytics, it provides professional users with the tools to continue improving the way business use VR in an everyday capacity”.
Innovative experiences made possible with Vive Pro Eye
At CES 2019, Major League Baseball (MLB) debuted eye tracking on Vive Pro Eye as a key component of its “MLB Home Run Derby VR” experience, allowing users full menu control without a traditional controller.
“We’ve invested in VR technology to connect our fans to our game and deliver a new level of engagement through VR game competitions and in-ballpark attractions,” said Jamie Leece, Senior Vice President, Games and VR, Major League Baseball. “By integrating eye tracking technology into Home Run Derby VR, we are able to transport this immersive baseball experience to any location without additional controllers needed. Our fans can simply operate menus by using their eyes.”
In business, public speaking skills are essential, but gaining experience can be difficult and intimidating. Ovation eliminates these and other obstacles by harnessing the power of virtual reality. The VR experience allows users to customize their training to replicate real-life situations from ballroom to courtroom, in addition to using eye tracking data to provide feedback designed to grow users’ skills and confidence.
“Arguably the most important element of communication is eye contact; with the Vive Pro Eye, Ovation can actively guide improvement by measuring and providing feedback on where exactly users are distributing their eye contact throughout a speech,” said Jeff Marshall, CEO, Ovation. “Our virtual venues come to life as individual audience members can react with various animations when a user makes direct eye contact with them. As a developer, there’s just no going back once you’ve seen all that eye tracking makes possible.”
Developed by Zerolight, the BMW M Virtual Experience allows potential customers to configure, explore, and sit inside a simulated M5 in immersive virtual reality. Be it paint, wheels, or interior details, customers are free to customize the popular, high-performance sedan as they see fit. When the customization is complete, they can get behind the wheel, interact with features, and take it for a test drive. After the experience is complete, each customer receives a personalized microsite of their unique customizations, a 360 turntable to see it from all angles, and even beauty shots for good measure.
“The Vive Pro Eye has taken everything that was great about the Vive Pro and pushed it to the next level,” said Chris O’Connor, Technical Director at Zerolight. “Using this headset’s eye tracking technology, we can add significant extra value to our clients’ projects with foveated rendering and detailed user behaviour insights.”
For more on Vive Enterprise, please visit: www.enterprise.vive.com.
VIVE Pro Eye Specs:
- Screens: Dual AMOLED 3.5’’ diagonal
- Resolution: 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye (2880 x 1600 pixels combined)
- Refresh Rate: 90 Hz
- Field of View: 110 degrees
- Audio: Hi-Res-certified headset, Hi-Res-certified headphones (removable), high-impedance headphone support, enhanced headphone ergonomics
- Input: Dual integrated microphones
- Connections: USB-C 3.0, DP 1.2, Bluetooth
- Sensors: SteamVR™ Tracking, G-sensor, gyroscope, proximity, interpupillary (IPD) sensor, eye tracking
- Ergonomics: Eye relief with lens distance adjustment, adjustable IPD, adjustable headphones, adjustable strap
Eye Tracking Specs:
- Gaze data output frequency
- (binocular): 120Hz
- Accuracy: 0.5°–1.1°
- Calibration: 5-point
- Trackable field of view: 110°
- Data output (for each eye): Timestamp (device and system), gaze origin, gaze direction, pupil position, absolute pupil size, eye openness
Interface: HTC SRanipal SDK
- 3D engine compatibility: Unity, Unreal