HTC Vive is seemingly on a roll in the virtual reality (VR) scene with its latest addition of a business-oriented headset, HTC Vive Business Edition (BE).
The news comes right after the company’s upgrade of its delivery system that now ships its HTC Vive VR headsets within three days, along with retails in store outlets.
As stated in a previous report, the company’s wide-scale expansion is made possible through the public’s “incredible interest” in its product, allowing HTC to take on more demanding requests for its VR headset, such as its extension into the enterprise scene.
After all, HTC’s move to enter the professional market is built upon the company’s existing network of business partners that focuses on a wide range of medical, automotive and design industries. These business establishments have taken a particular interest in VR and its application in a business-oriented system.
HTC’s existing partner, Dassault Systèmes, innovator of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform that provides a “collaborative virtual environment for businesses to create differentiating customer experiences,” notes that “Vive helps [the company] provide [its] customers from all industries with premium virtual reality experiences that offer unlimited perspectives to inspire product ideation and creation."
The goal is to further accelerate HTC’s growing number of business partners to ensure that the Vive VR system remains at the “forefront of the enterprise sector,” says Vice President of Virtual Reality at HTC, Daniel O’Brien.
"With Vive BE, we are answering the overwhelming demand from global industries for a complete VR experience, to provide innovative solutions for their business needs,” he explains.
Whereas the standard edition only allows single purchases and a non-commercial agreement, the HTC Vive Business Edition differs by adding commercial licensing and bulk purchasing, along with a “dedicated Vive Business edition customer support line,” and a yearlong limited commercial warranty.
According to Vice President of Professional Visualization at Nvidia, Bob Pette, whose company’s Nvidia GPUs power the HTC Vive system, the BE allows commercial applications of the VR hardware and thus, “revolutionizes” the way business models can manage their systems, some of which are medicine, manufacturing and design.
Included in the standard Vive BE package is the VR headset with four face cushions or two pieces each of narrow and wide face cushions, two wireless controllers, two base stations, a link box, a pair of earbuds and the necessary cables, chargers and accessories.
Priced at $1,200, the HTC Vive Business Edition can be viewed or purchased through the HTC Vive website. The BE’s official launch targets June 2016 and will be limited to the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany, and France, with global releases in the coming weeks.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
