HTC Vive Flow: the Leaks, the Launch

HTC Vive’s next rumored hardware release was hyped earlier this month with a batch of viral leaks. Though the leaks turned out to be questionable – or, at least, the Photoshop skills used to create them seemed suspect – HTC did indeed unveil a new device called Vive Flow at its Go With the Flow online event.

Vive Flow was announced during a scheduled Livestream and presented as a valuable innovation in personal, everyday VR use. Geared towards less demanding experiences – both of hardware and of the users themselves – like watching Netflix, joining VR Livestream events, and VR-aided meditation, Flow has been designed from the ground up to suit comfortable daily use. With a 1.6K per-eye resolution, 100° FOV, and 17Hz refresh rate, Flow can’t compete with leading VR devices like Oculus Quest 2. However, it does make an extremely suitable successor for anyone who was almost satisfied by the limited (but still functional and enjoyable) capabilities of Oculus Go.

The most immediately notable element of Vive Flow gaining attention from VR users and pundits is its sleek sunglasses-like design. With no head strap to keep the device in place, you may expect significant slipping and a loose fit. Thankfully that doesn’t appear to be a major problem here. To accomplish such a streamlined form factor, designers included only a modest battery inside Flow, leaving most power to be supplied by an external battery pack. Sitting between a tethered and standalone device, Flow employs a user’s Android phone as a controller. Though HTC has promised hand tracking, there’s no word on when users will employ gestures instead of the phone as a rotational laser pointer.

Comfortable, Personal, Intimate

While some hardcore VR evangelists deride HTC’s latest, calling it “Vive Flaw” and “Vive Blow,” others whose VR needs fall far away from high-end gaming are praising its simplicity and effectiveness as a VR media center. Also able to smoothly mirror the user’s phone in its VR space, the $499 USD Vive Flow offers ease of use and a comfort level many still considered years away. For VR porn fans, this is great news. Most VR porn is far less demanding of hardware than an epic VR game, and a device that focuses on comfort and refined quality VR viewing is bound to suit virtual sex fans’ needs.

A logical successor to Oculus Go, and a formidable challenger to beat in the looming media-glasses and smart-specs wars, Vive Flow may not have launched to a roar of appreciation. Still, its position in the VR/AR hardware world is nonetheless a solid one. At least until the next impressive challenger appears…