XR Art Platform STYLY Expands Support to Vive Flow

HTC’s introduction of Vive Flow in October certainly raised a few eyebrows when it came to where the company was positioning the headset, heading down the line of a wellness device rather than focusing on gaming or enterprise. Even so, developers have seen the potential in the light, phone connected virtual reality (VR) headset, with Psychic VR Lab’s creative platform STYLY adding support.

The news isn’t too surprising considering STYLY rolled out support for HTC Vive’s Viveport platform in September, allowing users to access a huge selection of immersive content built by artists worldwide. STYLY was built around the idea of using XR as an artistic medium, with works ranging from personal museum pieces to pop music experiences and anime comic creations.

While the free STYLY app enables access to these works, STYLY itself is a cloud-based platform where artists can bring their ideas to life using a web browser and then distribute the content via VR headsets, augmented reality (AR) devices and simply via the web. The app is supplied with STYLY Studio, the creative arm of the platform that doesn’t require any programming knowledge to operate.

Launched back in 2017 initially for PC VR headsets, STYLY also encourages creators to try the platform by hosting an annual event called the NEWVIEW Awards. This year’s event will be even bigger with more award categories and a huge $20,000 USD up for grabs for the lucky Gold Award winner.

The HTC Vive Flow is more like a chunky pair of sunglasses rather a bulbous VR headset. Weighing in at only 189g, the device sports a 100-degree field of view (FoV), 3.2K resolution (2x 2.1” LCD 1600 x1600 per eye) and a 75 Hz refresh rate. It connects to your phone either by cable or via Bluetooth – you’ll need the external battery to run it wirelessly – with your phone acting as a 3DoF controller. Vive Flow is now available to purchase for £499 GBP/$499 USD.

The addition of Vive Flow support continues a run of adding compatibility to both VR and AR devices, recent additions include Oculus Quest and Nreal Light. This has all been aided by an $8.5 million USD funding round earlier in the year, allowing the Japanese company to expand its global reach.

For continued updates on STYLY and the latest VR news from Japan, keep reading VRFocus.