Former HTC Boss Peter Chou Releases the XRSPACE 5G VR Headset
Peter Chou, the man who led HTC Corp. some years ago, is returning to consumer electronics with the unveiling of a new virtual reality headset, platform and company.
The company today announced the launch of a social VR platform designed for mass market users, combined with the first 5G mobile VR headset.
XRSPACE aims to create the social reality of the future – a world where people can interact both physically and virtually in a way that is "contextual, familiar, immersive, interactive and personal." At a time when face-to-face interaction is restricted due to social distancing measures, XRSPACE is aiming to bring people together in a virtual world that is powered by XR, AI, computer vision technology and 5G connectivity.
Peter Chou, founder of XRSPACE, said: "Our mission is to bring people together through the power of 5G XR, surpassing the limited experience of smartphones today. The singular goal of XRSPACE, is to take XR to the masses by redefining how people connect, socialize, and collaborate by simplifying the hardware and user experience. When XRSPACE started 3 years ago, we have been laser-focused at putting regular customers in everything we do. Today we are here to announce a new platform which will take human interaction to a new level through 5G XR."
Smaller and lighter compared to other VR devices, the XRSPACE MOVA is the first 5G consumer mobile VR headset, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile XR Platform, and fully portable anywhere with 5G, LTE, or WiFi connection. Priced at $599, the XRSpace headset has a high cost of entry. It is requiring no additional controllers to navigate the virtual world, the XRSPACE MOVA can be operated through simple use of hand motions and gestures.
Aiming to offer an experience much more than a simple app store, XRSPACE MANOVA is a social reality platform designed to bring people together beyond limits of space and time. Embodying lifelike full-body avatars resembling each user's personal features, users can socialize, work, and play in various private and public spaces.
Foremost among these spaces is MagicLOHAS, a combination of experiences promoting healthy and active lifestyles through VR. One can simply hangout with friends in relaxing landscapes, or exercise - walking, biking, dancing, doing yoga, patented Magic Tai-Chi sessions in environments of naturally meditative ambiences. Together with a diverse team of sports, yoga, dancing, music, meditation, health and therapy experts, XRSPACE MANOVA provides fun and interactive contents designed to enhance everyday wellness.
Through a central hub in the City Center, whether it's watching a sport event, a trip around the world, learning from the best online academies, or playing casual games with others, everyone can connect with friends in a wide variety of virtual spaces. With dedicated public areas integrating endless entertainment content and service portfolios from third party and telecom partners, the world also comes with virtual classroom and meeting room solutions to better remedy the social disconnect raging in the world today. Content is provided by companies including Angry Birds, AirPano, Resolution Games, Magic Horizons, Digital Domain, Iconic Engine, iStaging and Futuretown.
Using a set of optical sensors paired with proprietary scanning technology, the XRSPACE MOVA device can not only translate hand gestures into virtual world interactions, but also utilized in space scanning applications to recreate real physical locations inside VR. XRSPACE's real estate partners such as YC House in Taiwan will also provide VR house-viewing experiences with the form of actual VR scenes. Users will be able to freely navigate every corner and angle without predefined pathways, pushing beyond the usual limitations of 360 photos and videos.
XRSPACE developer kits, SDKs, and developer support will be provided starting today.
XRSPACE global launch will be carried out in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Deutsche Telekom, and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom. Go-to-market rollout will be followed in Europe, the United States, and China.
The full XRSPACE product package includes XRSPACE MOVA, a VR headset powered by Snapdragon 845, and a virtual world, XRSPACE MANOVA, filled with content from social, education, gaming, wellness and entertainment sectors provided by XRSPACE partners.