Thursday, October 14th 2021

HTC VIVE Breaks new Ground with Launch of Portable VIVE Flow Immersive Glasses

HTC VIVE today announced VIVE Flow, a compact, lightweight immersive glasses device that transports its wearers wherever they want or need to be - anytime, anywhere. "With VIVE Flow, HTC is taking technology in a new direction, focusing not on what we do, but on how we feel. Maintaining our wellness has come to the forefront in the last few years, with so many millions feeling stressed every day, so it has never been more important to take time out to calm our minds, and VIVE Flow provides the perfect opportunity to escape our four walls and immerse ourselves in our ideal ambience," said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC. "Meditation, gentle stretches, brain training, streaming our favorite shows or even meeting friends or coworkers in VR with VIVE Sync can all be enhanced by a device light and compact enough to fit in our pocket. VIVE Flow represents the next evolution of technology, as we take a more holistic view of how we can make life better."

"Relaxation means different things to different people," said Nanea Reeves, CEO of leading XR wellness service TRIPP. "It's important to find your own version of zen, whether that means meditating, watching videos, or playing games. The fact that HTC gets it, that we can use VR in these ways that can benefit peoples' emotional and mental well-being is something that I personally am very excited about as is our entire team at TRIPP."
Designed with comfort and portability in mind, VIVE Flow lets people find moments of calm and well-being for themselves throughout the day, including:
  • Meditation 2.0 with apps like TRIPP, or taking a scenic, immersive drive down Route 66 with MyndVR's original series: A Road to Remember
  • Watching TV or movies on their own personal, cinema-sized VR screen
  • Exercising their minds with brain training apps
  • Collaborating and socializing with colleagues and friends on VIVE Sync
Go with the Flow

Even on a hectic day, it's easy to find time for meditation, entertainment, or productivity with VIVE Flow thanks to its lifestyle-minded features. With VIVE Flow, you can:
  • Dive into a range of immersive experiences via the Viveport app store anytime, anywhere, using your Android smartphone as a controller.
  • Connect wirelessly to your 5G Android smartphone and stream content like TV shows and films from your favorite platforms.
  • Meet with colleagues and friends in realistic virtual environments via VIVE Sync.
Portability meets power

Designed to fit into your life easily, VIVE Flow weighs about the same as a chocolate bar at just 189 g. Its dual-hinge design and soft face gasket allow it to fold down into a compact footprint for effortless portability. VIVE Flow's unique hinge is designed to fit many different head shapes and sizes. Its face gasket takes inspiration from the acclaimed VIVE Focus 3, with magnetic connections making it simple and quick to swap out - perfect for when you want to share. VIVE Flow also has built-in diopter dials, allowing users to easily make adjustments for crystal clear visuals. Its active cooling system pulls warm air away from your face, keeping you comfortable throughout the day.

Under the hood, VIVE Flow opens new worlds with on-the-go immersion like never before. An expansive 100-degree field of view allows for cinematic screens to lose yourself in HD quality content, with a sharp 3.2K resolution and a smooth 75 Hz refresh rate. Featuring full 3D spatial audio, VIVE Flow delivers immersive sound and can also connect to external Bluetooth earphones.

Unwind to your heart's content

HTC VIVE is also unveiling a special Viveport subscription plan following the launch of VIVE Flow. The plan is priced at USD $5.99 per month and gives people unlimited access to a wide range of immersive apps covering well-being, brain training, productivity, light gaming, and exclusive content like a Lo-Fi room designed to look and feel like a cozy café.

Pricing, accessories, and availability

VIVE Flow has a matching carry case available for purchase, giving you peace of mind no matter where you go. A small but powerful 10,000mAh VIVE power bank can be purchased separately, providing extra battery life for long days.

VIVE Flow retails for USD $499 / £499 / and starting from 549€. It will be available via https://www.vive.com/vive-flow, as well as retailers around the world. Pre-orders start on Oct 14 globally, and anyone pre-ordering will receive the official VIVE Flow carry case and a gift bundle of 7 pieces of content. Open sales begin in November 2021.

Source: HTC Vive
Add your own comment

15 Comments on HTC VIVE Breaks new Ground with Launch of Portable VIVE Flow Immersive Glasses

#2
TheLostSwede
News Editor
TheoneandonlyMrKWow bit more expensive than I thought it would be.
The leak said $499.
Posted on Reply
#3
TheoneandonlyMrK
TheLostSwedeThe leak said $499.
I didn't see that, kinda meant I read through it, built up a price in my head verses a quest 2 or similar , saw what it offers, no gaming and was surprised it wasn't cheaper.
Posted on Reply
#5
Space Lynx
Astronaut
yeah this is a pass. the guy reading from the script in the video at around 7:15 in the video... can tell he is just going through the motions reading a script... what a boring launch. It seems Steam Valve Index 2 in the year 2023 is my last hope for VR after all.

I'll never buy anything that supports facebook, so quest is no go.

Come on Lord Gaben, you can do it! :rockout: bring VR to the masses not the steam deck!!!
Posted on Reply
#6
TheoneandonlyMrK
lynx29yeah this is a pass. the guy reading from the script in the video at around 7:15 in the video... can tell he is just going through the motions reading a script... what a boring launch. It seems Steam Valve Index 2 in the year 2023 is my last hope for VR after all.

I'll never buy anything that supports facebook, so quest is no go.

Come on Lord Gaben, you can do it! :rockout: bring VR to the masses not the steam deck!!!
Balls, I'll take both plus H3 pls :p

He sounds as into it as me.
Posted on Reply
#7
bigstu_
Vive Frow: for your next Fearless Fly cosplay
Posted on Reply
#8
HisDivineOrder
Imagine a portable where the screen was wirelessly receiving its game from a controller-like device. Sounds great... in the future.

This, though? Meh. Too expensive, too soon I guess.
Posted on Reply
#9
InhaleOblivion
One step closer to the Oasis. #ReadyPlayerOne #ReadyPlayerTwo
Posted on Reply
#10
Valantar
HTC does seem to be headed straight for bankruptcy at this rate. If their vision for the future is "novelty VR-ish meditation/wellness goggles" they're limiting their target demographic to the intersection of people really into meditation/wellness but also willing to heavily integrate digital technology into that, while being willing/able to spend $500 on a novelty device, which I cannot for the life of me imagine is more than a few hundred people globally when accounting for the need of people to actually hear of the product in the first place.
Posted on Reply
#11
Octavean
Apparently, there is a $100 off deal when you buy a second Oculus Quest. Therefore you can literally buy two Oculus Quest 2 HMDs for less then the price of the Vive Flow. Judging from the specs and intended use case, the “Vive Flow” seems like an old school Oculus Go for an outrageous ~$500 USD, which, is just unacceptable In todays market.

For those savvy enough to be concerned with consuming products from the Evil Empire known as FaceBook, fair point, good on you. However, the Oculus Quest 2 is almost certainly a “loss leader”. Therefore buying a product like the Oculus Quest 2 and using a utility like “Oculess” to remove FB from the equation is actually more harmful to the company and their strategy then abstaining.
Posted on Reply
#12
Simpleris
InhaleOblivionOne step closer to the Oasis. #ReadyPlayerOne #ReadyPlayerTwo
Nah, the NerveGear™ is better future and more original. #FreeAlice
lynx29yeah this is a pass. the guy reading from the script in the video at around 7:15 in the video... can tell he is just going through the motions reading a script... what a boring launch. It seems Steam Valve Index 2 in the year 2023 is my last hope for VR after all.

I'll never buy anything that supports facebook, so quest is no go.

Come on Lord Gaben, you can do it! :rockout: bring VR to the masses not the steam deck!!!
I wanted something for MR/AR as well, so I already seen pimax as a good alternative. We'll see how it ends up with the Index².
I would also keep an eye on vr-compare.com as there are other companies gaining ground.
Posted on Reply
#13
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
This needs low latency wifi (the mmwave stuff?) to a nearby base station, and controller support
Posted on Reply
#14
spnidel
"weighs about the same as a chocolate bar at just 189 g"
huh??? what kind of chocolate bar weighs "just" 189g? the diabetes fan chocolate bar brand?
Posted on Reply
#15
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
spnidel"weighs about the same as a chocolate bar at just 189 g"
huh??? what kind of chocolate bar weighs "just" 189g? the diabetes fan chocolate bar brand?
We get 1KG blocks here ;)
Posted on Reply
Add your own comment
Jan 31st, 2025 10:41 EST change timezone

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts