htc vive

We finally know when HTC’s new-and-improved Vive Pro VR headset is coming, and for how much. But what makes it better than the original Vive that debuted two years ago? Let’s break it down.

我们终于知道HTC的新的和改进的Vive Pro VR头戴显示器何时推出，价格是多少。 但是，什么使其比两年前推出的原始Vive更好呢？ 让我们分解一下。

更高的价格 (Higher Price)

First, some very good news: the Vive Pro isn’t going to be significantly more expensive than the original Vive. When it goes on sale on April 5th, it will cost $799 USD, the same price at which the Vive debuted. To lower stock of existing units, the original Vive is now on sale for $499 (a bit lower than its promotional price from last year). That makes the newer headset a considerable investment over the older one, but not an insurmountable one, especially if you already have the budget for high-end gaming. Remember, using either of these headsets requires a pretty beefy gaming PC, with at least a GTX 970 or better graphics card.

首先，有一个非常好的消息：Vive Pro不会比原始的Vive贵很多。 它将于4月5日上市销售，售价为799美元，与Vive首次亮相时的价格相同。 为了减少现有设备的库存，原始的Vive现在以499美元的价格出售(比去年的促销价低一点)。 这使得较新的头戴式耳机比起较旧的头戴式耳机而言，是一笔相当可观的投资，但并不是不可克服的，尤其是如果您已经有高端游戏的预算。 请记住，使用这两种耳机都需要一台功能强大的游戏PC，至少要有GTX 970或更好的图形卡。

There’s one big downside to anyone looking to get into the VR scene with the new Vive Pro: it doesn’t come with its own wireless controllers. In order to play games designed for motion controls (as opposed to an Xbox controller or standard keyboard and mouse), you’ll have to use the controllers from the original Vive or buy new ones. They go for a wallet-whomping $129.99 each on Amazon. The base stations,  which allow more seamless 360-degree tracking, are also add-on. Those are $135 each.

想要通过新的Vive Pro进入VR领域的任何人都有一个很大的缺点：它没有自己的无线控制器。 为了玩为运动控制设计的游戏(与Xbox控制器或标准键盘和鼠标相反)，您必须使用原始Vive的控制器或购买新的控制器。 他们去了一个钱包，打人每个$ 129.99亚马逊。 另外，还可以进行更无缝的360度跟踪的基站。 这些是每个$ 135。

All told, if you don’t already have the hardware in the original Vive bundle, it’ll cost you more than $1300 to get the full experience of the $500 model. That’s a real party foul, HTC.

总而言之，如果您还没有原始Vive捆绑包中的硬件，则要花费1300多美元才能获得500美元型号的完整体验。 HTC，这真是聚会的犯规。

更好的屏幕 (Better Screens)

Modern VR headsets are only possible thanks to tiny, dense high-resolution screens: they’re essential for keeping the illusion of immersion from breaking. The original Vive has a resolution of 1080×1200 in each eye, for a combined resolution of 2160×1200.

现代VR耳机只有借助纤细，密集的高分辨率屏幕才有可能：对于防止沉浸感的破灭至关重要。 原始的Vive每只眼睛的分辨率为1080×1200，组合分辨率为2160×1200。

The new model will boost that considerably, up to 1440×1600 (2880×1600 combined). That’s not quite 4K, but it meets or beats most dedicated gaming monitors. The higher resolution helps to reduce the “screen door” effect of most VR headsets, where the user can differentiate individual pixels. The 90Hz refresh rate and AMOLED panels carry over from the previous generation.

新型号将大大提高分辨率，最高可达1440×1600(合2880×1600)。 那不是4K，但可以满足或击败大多数专用游戏显示器。 更高的分辨率有助于减少大多数VR头戴式耳机的“屏幕门”效果，用户可以在其中区分各个像素。 90Hz刷新率和AMOLED面板继承了上一代产品。

What might be a bummer for some users, and subsequently dissuade them from an upgrade, is that the rather limited 110-degree field of view hasn’t been improved. To be fair, the competition from Oculus and Microsoft haven’t made big improvements here, either—a limited FOV seems to be one of the elements of the first few generations of VR headsets we can’t easily shake, like limited color palettes back in the NES days.

对于某些用户而言，可能是无聊的事，后来阻止了他们进行升级，原因是，有限的110度视野没有得到改善。 公平地说，来自Oculus和Microsoft的竞争在这里也没有取得很大的进步-有限的FOV似乎是我们不易摇动的前几代VR头显的要素之一，例如有限的调色板在NES时代。

更好的连接 (Better Connections)

The original Vive used an HDMI cable for video, a USB 2.0 cable for audio, and a standard 3.5mm audio jack (with Bluetooth optional). The Vive Pro updates pretty much everything to standards with far greater bandwidth over USB-C 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.2. Audio will come over the data connection now, though Bluetooth is still supported.

原始的Vive使用HDMI电缆传输视频，使用USB 2.0电缆传输音频，以及标准的3.5毫米音频插Kong(带蓝牙选件)。 Vive Pro几乎更新了所有标准，具有比USB-C 3.0和DisplayPort 1.2更大的带宽。 尽管仍支持蓝牙，但音频现在将通过数据连接传输。

The old design featured a microphone for multiplayer chatting, and so does the new one, but it includes an extra mic to enable noise cancellation on the built-in headset. There’s also “Conversation mode,” where the sounds of the surrounding room (like your significant other telling you to stop playing games) are allowed in on their own audio channel.

旧的设计带有一个麦克风，可以进行多人聊天，新的麦克风也是如此，但是它包括一个额外的麦克风，可以消除内置耳机的噪音。 还有“对话模式”，在该模式下，周围房间的声音(例如您的其他重要对象告诉您停止玩游戏)被允许在其自己的音频通道上输入。

Speaking of audio, the built-in headphones now feature high-resolution and 3D spatial audio for better immersion. That’s an important upgrade, since the headset design means using your own headphones is more or less impossible—a big downside for audiophiles who have already invested in their own expensive equipment.

说到音频，内置耳机现在具有高分辨率和3D空间音频，可提供更好的沉浸感。 这是一项重要的升级，因为耳机设计意味着或多或少不可能使用您自己的耳机-对于已经购买了昂贵设备的发烧友来说，这是一个很大的缺点。

更好的人机工程学 (Better Ergonomics)

HTC says that the Vive Pro features a new cloth-covered foam pad for your face that’s especially comfortable for your nose. That’s, ya know, good, since all that high-tech hardware hanging off your face can cause some definite pressure during long play sessions. The new design allegedly distributes its weight more evenly with more points of adjustment, and lets in less light for a more dark and immersive view.

HTC表示，Vive Pro为您的脸部配备了一块新的布套泡沫垫，特别适合您的鼻子。 众所周知，这是很好的，因为悬挂在脸上的所有高科技硬件都可能在长时间玩游戏时造成一定的压力。 据称，新设计通过更多的调整点可以更均匀地分配其重量，并允许更少的光线以提供更黑暗和沉浸的视野。

That being said, anyone who finds VR in general to be uncomfortable probably won’t be swayed by the new design. We’ll need significant advances in miniaturization and weight reduction before headsets become comfy enough to last for the kind of marathon sessions in which gamers often indulge, whether they’re advisable or not.

话虽这么说，但是任何发现VR总体上都不舒服的人都不会被新设计所吸引。 我们需要微型化和减轻重量方面的重大进步，才能使耳机变得足够舒适，以适应游戏玩家经常沉迷的那种马拉松比赛，无论是否建议这样做。

更好的跟踪 (Better Tracking)

In addition to the original spacial tracking featured on the Vive controllers, the new Vive Pro doubles up the cameras. It carries over the ability to “see” your surroundings without removing the headset—a huge help if you “hit” one of your virtual walls. The proprietary Chaperone system, which approximates irregular surroundings like furniture for safety, is intact.

除了Vive控制器上原有的空间跟踪功能外，新的Vive Pro还使摄像机倍增。 它具有无需拆下耳机即可“看到”周围环境的功能-如果您“撞上”了其中一面虚拟墙，将为您提供巨大帮助。 专有的伴侣系统可以保护不规则的周围环境，例如家具，以确保安全。

But the extra camera sensor allows the system to see stereoscopically, more like humans do. With new and improved software, that should allow for more flexible tracking of the environment, including the user’s own hands. That’s with or without the motion-tracking controllers. HTC isn’t hyping this particular capability much at the system’s launch, but it’s building a developer’s kit to see what kind of functionality this advanced tracking might be able to add to games.

但是额外的摄像头传感器使系统可以像人一样看到立体图像。 使用新的和经过改进的软件，应该可以更灵活地跟踪环境，包括用户自己的手。 无论有没有运动跟踪控制器。 HTC在系统启动时并没有过多地宣传这种特殊功能，但它正在构建开发人员的工具包，以了解这种高级跟踪功能可以为游戏添加哪些功能。

The possibilities are exciting. Though presumably the field of view is limited—you’d have to look down at your hands to use them—it could allow for more dexterous manipulation of in-game elements. You could use your thumb to switch the safety on a gun, for example, or accurately play individual notes on a piano, all without needing to actually hold any hardware.

可能性是令人兴奋的。 尽管大概是有限的视野-您必须低头才能使用它们-但它可以允许对游戏中元素进行更灵巧的操作。 例如，您可以用拇指来切换枪支的安全性，或者在钢琴上准确弹奏个别音符，而无需实际握住任何硬件。

That sort of game element might not be available for a while (or at all, since developers like cross-platform tools and there’s no equivalent on the Oculus Rift). But it’s an intriguing possibility nonetheless.

这类游戏元素可能暂时无法使用(或者根本没有，因为开发人员喜欢跨平台工具，而Oculus Rift上没有类似的工具)。 但这仍然是一个有趣的可能性。

Speaking of things that won’t be available at launch…

谈到发布时将无法提供的功能…

最后，无线选项 (Finally, A Wireless Option)

The Vive Pro has wireless capability. You can use it without a cumbersome bundle of cables running to your PC at all times. That’s awesome! But it’s not built-in, and it won’t be ready for launch. In order to play untethered you’ll need to add the Intel WiGig adapter, which is coming later on an unannounced date and at an unannounced price.

Vive Pro具有无线功能。 您可以随时使用它，而无需将繁琐的电缆束始终连接到PC。 棒极了！ 但是它不是内置的，因此无法启动。 为了不受限制地玩游戏，您需要添加Intel WiGig适配器，该适配器将在以后以未知价格和价格发布。

It’s a big deal. Wireless play has been something people have been waiting for ever since the latest VR boom started, and something only once available with elaborate backpack PCs or low-power mobile headsets. A company named TPCast offers models for the current Vive and Oculus Rift headsets, but it’s a third-party standard that’s also a pricey add-on. The Intel adapter will be an officially-licensed product with full support from both hardware and software. HTC says the included battery will last for “long hours,” though precise battery life estimates are frustratingly absent.

这很重要。 自从最近的VR繁荣开始以来，无线游戏一直是人们一直在等待的东西，而精心制作的背包式PC或低功耗移动耳机只能使用无线游戏。 一家名为TPCast的公司为当前的Vive和Oculus Rift头戴式耳机提供了型号，但这是第三方标准，也是一个昂贵的附加组件。 英特尔适配器将是正式许可的产品，硬件和软件都将提供全面支持。 HTC表示，附带的电池将持续“长时间”，尽管令人沮丧地缺少精确的电池寿命估算。

The TPCast wireless adapter costs $300 and change. It’s reasonable to guess that HTC and Intel will want something similar for their wireless hardware.

TPCast无线适配器的价格为300美元，并且需要更改。 可以合理地猜测HTC和Intel会在其无线硬件上需要类似的东西。

你应该得到一个吗？ (Should You Get One?)

Those of you who were waiting for a hardware upgrade before investing in VR should be well-served by the Vive Pro, so long as you’re ready to invest a lot. With the headset alone costing $800 sans controllers and base stations, you’re looking at a four-figure price tag to get started. And that’s assuming you already have a powerful gaming PC. (Did I mention that high-end graphics cards are unreasonably expensive right now?)

只要准备好投入大量资金，那些一直在等待硬件升级然后再投资VR的人都应该受到Vive Pro的良好服务。 仅凭这款耳机就需要花费800美元(不含控制器和基站)，您就可以开始以四位数的价格购买产品。 假设您已经拥有一台功能强大的游戏PC。 (我刚才提到高端显卡价格不合理吗？)

If you’re an existing Vive non-Pro owner, it’s still a pretty significant bump over the original design. The new screens are nice, but early hands-on impressions say that they’re not quite to the point where the technology disappears (especially when games render small elements like text). The biggest additions to the design are first-party wireless and (maybe) hand tracking, both of which won’t be ready at launch.

如果您是现有的Vive非专业版所有者，那么与原始设计相比仍然是一个相当重要的突破。 新的屏幕很好用，但是早期的动手印象表明它们还远没有达到该技术消失的地步(尤其是当游戏渲染文本等小元素时)。 该设计最大的附加功能是第一方无线和(也许)手动跟踪，这两种功能都不会在发布时准备就绪。

That being the case, we recommend that most users hold off on a new purchase or an upgrade. Those without a VR headset should wait for a new entry from Oculus to hopefully provide some high-end competition. A couple of specific features, like a wider field of view or a more budget-friendly accessory bundle, could make a big difference in the value proposition. Or, you could simply make do with the much cheaper original Vive or Oculus Rift bundles.

在这种情况下，我们建议大多数用户不要购买新产品或进行升级。 那些没有VR头盔的人应该等待Oculus的新加入，以期提供一些高端竞争产品。 几个特定的​​功能(例如更宽的视野或更预算友好的附件包)可能会在价值主张方面产生很大的不同。 或者，您可以简单地使用便宜得多的原始Vive或Oculus Rift捆绑包。

Dedicated Vive users might want to hold off and see how those upcoming wireless and expanded tracking functions actually play out. None of the other features in the Vive Pro seem to be absolutely essential for more advanced VR games, so you’re not missing out on any potentially groundbreaking titles by holding off for a better price or a killer app.

专用的Vive用户可能希望推迟，看看那些即将到来的无线和扩展跟踪功能是如何发挥作用的。 对于更高级的VR游戏，Vive Pro的其他功能似乎都不是绝对必不可少的，因此您不会因为价格低廉或杀手级应用而错过任何潜在的突破性游戏。

Image Source: HTC

图片来源： HTC

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/346395/how-is-the-htc-vive-pro-better-than-the-original-vive/

htc vive