HTC expected to announce ‘lightweight’ mixed reality headset at CES 2023

Taiwanese consumer electronics brand, HTC, which was once one of the most recognisable and iconic smartphone brands in the world, is seemingly set to return to the stage of global tech exhibition, the Consumer Electronics Show 2023, in January next year. According to a report by The Verge, as part of its offering could be a lightweight mixed reality headset that may feature a depth sensor, cameras on the outside that relay a colour feed to the user displays inside, and full six degrees of freedom with hand tracking — in effect making it a potential consumer-facing mixed reality headset that could rival Facebook’s parent firm Meta’s Quest Pro headset, and Apple’s purported upcoming headset.

As of now, there are no details regarding the pricing of the headset, or a full lowdown of its appearance, dimensions and features. However, an interview with Shen Ye, global head of product and The Verge revealed that the headset could be entirely “self-contained”, which means that it would not need to be tethered to any terminal or computer in order to work. It has also been said to be different from the previous headset iterations, but exactly how it would differ remains to be seen.

The headset, based on the solitary image shared with The Verge by HTC, appears to have a rounded goggles-like design, and come with cameras both to the left and the front. Features that stand out in the headset include a full colour view of the mixed reality interface, a high-resolution readout that would let users be able to read books or into laptop screens even when wearing the headset, and compatibility with various applications that include gaming, exercises and even enterprise applications.

On this note, it remains to be seen how the product shapes up against offerings from Meta, and even potentially Apple — which have larger sets of users to target with their mixed reality offerings. HTC’s Ye told The Verge that the company is looking at developer collaborations to promote this as a consumer-first headset — but is also open to a form of enterprise offering as well.