HTC VIVE Eagle: Lightweight AI Headset Challenges Meta in Smart Glasses
HTC has re-entered the spotlight with the launch of the VIVE Eagle, an innovative AI-powered headset now available in Taiwan. Positioned as a lightweight, unobtrusive wearable, the device signals HTC’s renewed focus on consumer-facing technology, specifically in the burgeoning smart glasses market.
Weighing in at less than 49 grams, the VIVE Eagle is designed for comfort and everyday utility. It integrates a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera and discreet speakers, serving as a personal AI assistant. At its core, the headset leverages the power of OpenAI’s GPT models and Google Gemini, enabling users to interact through voice commands. While HTC has not specified the exact versions of these powerful AI frameworks, referring only to their broader families and labeling GPT access as “beta,” the device promises a range of practical functions. Users can effortlessly request translations across 13 languages, set reminders, take quick notes, or obtain localized tips, all without needing to pull out a smartphone.
A key aspect HTC emphasizes is privacy. The company states that all data processing occurs locally on the device, with requests sent to external AI services handled anonymously. To further assure users, an LED indicator clearly signals when recording is active, and the device is engineered to automatically cease recording if removed or covered, addressing common concerns about wearable cameras. Beyond its AI capabilities, the VIVE Eagle offers up to 4.5 hours of continuous music playback and an impressive 36 hours of standby time, supported by convenient magnetic fast charging. Priced at approximately $520, the headset is available in four distinct colors and comes equipped with Zeiss solar lenses, enhancing its appeal as a stylish yet functional accessory.
The introduction of the VIVE Eagle reignites a familiar rivalry, shifting the long-standing competition between HTC and Meta from the virtual reality arena to the rapidly evolving smart glasses segment. For years, these tech giants squared off in VR, with HTC’s Vive series often struggling to match the substantial financial backing Meta poured into its Oculus line. Now, they find themselves once again in direct competition, vying for dominance in a market poised for significant growth.
Meta has already established a notable presence in this space with its expanding portfolio of smart and augmented reality (AR) glasses. The popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, for instance, offer practical features like real-time city guides, live language translation, and QR code scanning, all seamlessly integrated with Meta AI and controlled via voice commands. Beyond consumer-ready products, Meta is also pushing the boundaries of AR with its research-focused Aria Gen 2 glasses and the Orion AR prototype. These advanced devices prioritize multimodal AI interaction, high-resolution camera capabilities, and sophisticated real-time environmental perception, signaling Meta’s long-term vision for immersive computing.
In this burgeoning market, privacy is emerging as a critical differentiator, and it’s here that HTC appears to be drawing a distinct line. Meta’s recent policy decision to store voice recordings from its smart glasses by default for AI training has drawn considerable criticism from privacy advocates and users alike, particularly since this feature cannot be entirely disabled, requiring manual deletion of individual recordings. While Meta’s extensive data collection practices have long been under scrutiny, the stakes are higher as AI-powered wearables become more pervasive. Conversely, Meta’s strategy of running its own AI models directly on its wearables could offer a significant advantage in terms of cost efficiency, potentially allowing for more competitive pricing in the future.