HTC made waves last year when it released the high-powered HTC Vive Pro headset, but now HP could be firing back with an even higher-resolution headset of its own, which is codenamed Copper.

The headset was detailed in an exclusive first look piece on the website Road to VR and the outlet skipped no details on what it was like to use HP’s next-gen hardware. 

In terms of specs, Copper will have dual 2,160 × 2,160 displays (one per eye), which is much higher than the HTC Vive Pro’s 1440 x 1600 pixels-per-eye display. Copper won’t, however, radically improve other key metrics like field-of-view. 

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Just as important as the improved resolution, Road to VR reports that HP will ditch the ‘halo’-style strap that its previous headset used and opt instead for Oculus Rift-style velcro straps that will run along the sides and top of the headset.

Like HP’s previous VR headset, Copper will run on the Windows Mixed Reality platform and will primarily focus on prosumer and enterprise applications. But according to HP, Copper will be available for anyone to buy, allowing everyone to partake in the higher-resolution headset. 

Is VR ready for a 4K upgrade? 

Now, if you’re doing the math here, HP Copper is a 4K headset (2,160 x 2,160 per eye), the first for HP and potentially one of the first major high-res VR headsets on the market if LG’s 4K prototype VR headset doesn’t beat it to store shelves. 

That’s not to say there aren’t other high-resolution options out there. The other contender in the ring for best-performing VR headset is Pimax’s 8K VR headset, which not only has the highest resolution available at 3840 x 2160 per eye but also has the widest field-of-view at 200 degrees and a decent 80Hz refresh rate. 

HP’s may not have the wider field-of-view, but it would be the first high-resolution-per-eye headset from a major electronics manufacturer.

Unfortunately neither HP nor Road to VR could confirm Copper’s final price, but it’s likely that it will come in just slightly above the $499 (around £385, AU$700) mark that HP currently charges for its Mixed Reality Headset from last year.

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