Video chat is an essential part of staying in touch with friends, family, and work colleagues during the pandemic, but it can be frustrating looking at a screen that's constantly switching to show whoever is talking.
HTC is offering an alternative, more natural solution that relies on virtual reality.
As VRFocus reports, HTC just launched its Vive Sync VR collaboration tool in beta form publicly.
Vive Sync isn't new, having been in development since 2018 by virtual reality developer 2 Bears Studio and was available as a closed beta by invitation.
The open beta launched today allows business users to start testing the tool with employees, and it's sure to be popular as it means everyone is virtually in the same room having a meeting/chat.
HTC held a webinar earlier this month explaining exactly how Vive Sync can be used to work remotely:
In order to use Vive Sync, users will require one of HTC's Vive headsets, but there's also a viewing mode for Android and iOS devices in development, which will certainly open up the potential user base massively when it launches.
It's possible to hold meetings with up to 30 participants, all of whom can create a unique look for their avatar.
HTC has done a lot of work to ensure the customizable meetings rooms are big enough to offer attendees a sense of space, while also including a massive display so everyone always knows what's going on or is being talked about.
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As the tool is focused on business users, it required a way to securely share files between attendees.
HTC decided to integrate Vive Sync with Microsoft's OneDrive to achieve that.
As for the future, HTC expects to roll out support for other headsets soon, with Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest hardware being at the top of the list.
