Vertical Divider

Peter Chou Wants to Start Over but Could Be Dead in the Water
May 31, 2020
 
Former HTC CEO Peter Chou has a new project, and it’s in VR: XRSpace Move. 
XRspace is an end-to-end social VR platform comprising hardware, software, content, and services. Its stated goal is to bring XR to the masses by “redefining how people connect, socialize, and collaborate in the virtual world.” He coined a new term to describe the product “the metaverse”. 
 
Figure 1: The XRspace Mova

Source: P. Chou

The XRspace Mova head-mounted display (HMD) is touted as the “world’s first 5G consumer mobile VR headset” and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 Mobile XR platform. It needs no additional controllers to navigate the virtual world, relying entirely on hand motions and gestures — in other words, the XRspace Mova is a fully self-sufficient unit. But the company is touting the experiences available through the headset.

• The XRSpace Mova is a new headset, reportedly shipping in the third quarter of 2020 for $599.
• Selling points include 5G support, hand tracking by default, and a virtual world dubbed ‘Manova’ - more on that below.
• It’ll run a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, pack 6GB RAM, a bigger 4,600mAh battery, and a 2880x1440 resolution display, plus 90Hz refresh rate. It has 6DoF, too.
• The display will be 702 ppi, because of a smaller panel with more restricted view, (seems like a microdisplay), but no specs provided. Could it be one of the new OLED direct pattern micro displays with 5,000 + nits?  Although the high luminance is not really necessary for VR. 
• It’s claimed to be the “smallest, lightest” standalone VR, weighing 470 grams, quite a bit less than the Oculus Quest at 571g.
• Some tech reporters have already worn the headset this year, but under NDA, with no details about the experience.

 
It’s all about the social experience, with Chou wanting to call this “XR” not strictly VR. Manova seems to be focusing on a virtual world social experiences. Call it the 'Second Life-but-in-VR' moniker on the whole thing but that’s the fastest way to understand what this is about.

• Virtual worlds have already failed: Linden Lab's High Fidelity didn't really work, not something lost on the former HTC exec.
• Manova is VR-first, not adapted from PC, and it is working closely with its Mova headset to use features like hand tracking to high-five or fist bump other avatars, which are higher-quality designs than we’ve seen before.
• They are counting on recent use of people holding VR meetings in the current pandemic. With travel problematic now and in a vaccine-less future, going from a 2D Zoom call to a VR meeting has been mentioned as being much richer and better for meetings (Mind you, I haven’t tried one).
• Manova looks adaptable towards professional use too: one early partner involved is a real estate agency that wants to offer VR houses for tours this year.

Problems include that the $399 Oculus Quest is $399, and even at that price can’t attract a significant uptake. But the Quest is hard to buy right now, too, with limited availability at times. XRSpace has signed up a range of partners, too, but the struggle will be for anyone to make VR truly exciting. Depending on a new work paradigm due to COVID-19, seems to be a big gamble as 50 big pharma companies will likely come up with at least 1 vaccine and Dr. Fauchi said it might be as soon as EOY.