Remember Project Proton, the HTC headset the company was talking about a year ago? It could be closer to launch than we realized, if a tweet from the company is any indication.
HTC’s Vive Twitter account posted a close-up image of a black matte surface with a glossy matching emblem of the Vive logo. The tweet itself read "It's your move."
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That's all there is to go on right now, but it's certainly enough to spark speculation among potential buyers about what appears to be an obvious upcoming reveal. HTC has remained relatively low-key ever since 2020's HTC Vive Cosmos and Vive Cosmos Elite launch, and now it seems another product might be gearing up for its debut.
It's your move. pic.twitter.com/BEdC37BiTbMarch 4, 2021
Surrounding the recent tweet about users' next "move" are gifs from the anime series Dragon Ball Z, asking readers what they would do with more energy. Another recent post encourages the community to share their dance skills with VR dance clips. These could be too on the nose to mean anything, but it's possible this new product, if there is one, is all about fluidity and movement.
What we know about Project Proton
Currently, there's little we know about what HTC Vive might have up its sleeve save for the now-scrapped Cosmos Play, a cheaper version of its Cosmos line, or the smaller, compact Project Proton.
We learned of Project Proton back in early 2020, as CEO Yves Maitre called the lightweight new headset "really, really close to normal glasses." At the time, Engadget shared renders that seemed to suggest this type of build, with a decidedly compact look that could ostensibly be used for more than VR interfaces -- it could also be a great alternative for AR glasses, not to mention a rival for the Oculus Quest standalone headset.
The first Project Proton render was reminiscent of every old VR headset we've seen on the market, but the second resembled safety goggles more than a typical VR apparatus. Unfortunately, there’s been very little (if any) information floating around about what HTC could be aiming for next other than these brief looks at what could be around the corner.
There’s no date spelled out for a reveal or an event to anticipate surrounding HTC’s teaser tweet. It’s clear, however, that HTC is looking to make a move, and we’ll have our eyes open to watch for what comes next.
