Alexandra Erin

I haven't tried using my Flow since shortly after launch due to the general lack of functionality (no keyboard, no reclined/supine use, clunky interface for using it anywhere outside a defined boundary, etc.) and I was excited to find out that an update was addressing some of those issues. I left the Flow plugged in and updating when I went downstairs to make dinner, and when I came back upstairs hours later, I found that it had gone from about 20% done to 0% And it has stayed there. I don't know if I screwed up the update process by taking my phone out of range of the headset or I'm supposed to be wearing it the whole time the progress bar loads, but it's currently not moving no matter what I do with the phone or the headset. @Barried Tung What should I be doing here?

I would like to second the demand for this sort of functionality. The Flow would be a perfect "wearable monitor" device, in terms of form factor, and being able to stream from a desktop device would be a usable workaround for the current lack of keyboard support. Ultimately I would prefer to be able to simply use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with the Flow directly so as to have a self-contained "virtual office" that fits in a coat with pockets or a handbag, but this would be a tremendous step in the right direction. I have been looking very seriously at the Quest 2 for these purposes, but as the previous poster says, it's bulky compared to the elegant Flow and ill-suited, even if it can sort of do them.

I would guess that "Can't agree any more" probably means "I agree the maximum amount". As I read it, the gentleman is cosigning your points and my additions and adding his own.

I mentioned this in another thread but I thought it was worth making its own. The Vive Flow's biggest strength is how easy it is, compared to other VR headsets, to just pull it out and put it on like a pair of glasses. No straps, which a lot of people with short hair probably don't realize how big a barrier to casual use that can be to some of us. And it's so lightweight and relatively comfortable. And it's biggest weakness is... basically everything that was sacrificed to make it that way, which means it's never going to compete as a piece of hardcore gaming hardware. Which is fine as HTC doesn't appear to be marketing it that way, but it doesn't seem like they know how to make it useful for anything else, either. If it's going to be more than a novelty toy, it needs keyboard support. Are people having virtual meetings supposed to take notes by waving their (5G, processor-heavy) phones around like a magic wand at the cumbersome onscreen keyboard? And meetings aside, HTC came very close to creating the perfect virtual office in a can for the business traveler... except we can't bring a keyboard or mouse with us into the virtual space. I would love to be able to sync input and pointer devices with the Flow directly using its Bluetooth. The capability is clearly there, unused. But honestly, I've already got the keyboards I would use with it synced with my phone. Is there any reason that the controller app can't simply intercept keyboard input received by the phone the same way it captures screen input and pass it through to the Flow? If HTC makes keyboard compatibility happen either way, I will be telling all my writing friends that they could all enjoy a cozy, private writing nook anywhere they happen to be for a one-time price in hardware investment. Overnight I would become the biggest Vive fan and Flow booster imaginable. But until then, it's not much more use to me than a toy. It's fine for watching YouTube videos that I queued up on my account on an actual computer, okay as a private virtual cinema, diverting occasionally as an actual VR device, but I can only use it for work in phone mode, awkwardly switching the controller app on and off depending on if I need to interact with apps on the phone or with the view controls for the Flow, and hoping the Miracast connection remains stable. At the price tag, I can't give a fulsome recommendation to anyone else based on its moderate entertainment purposes. But as an early adopter, I hope to see its functionality grow. Please let us use keyboards. Even if you can't immediately add pass-through keyboard view or something fancy like that, the touch-typists of the world will still thank you.

I am also curious about future update plans. I see a lot of promise in the Vive Flow, and I'm so glad that someone is making a VR device that is aimed towards casual uses more than being a gaming system or accessory, but the thing is that as of right now there's not much "there" there in terms of practical utility. In terms of something that is easy to just pull out, put on, and wear without doing anything about your hair or glasses or anything like that, it's miles ahead of any VR device I've seen, and in terms of readability and clarity of the screen it's miles and miles better than any non-VR HDMI viewscreen glasses I've seen, and I've tried a lot of those. I was hoping that the Flow would be my new go-to for wearable screen tech, and it would be... if I could sync keyboards and other Bluetooth devices to it. I know, the target audience you envisioned wasn't someone who would sit down somewhere, pull out a keyboard, put on the Flow and then want to start writing, but the main reason I've tried so many wearable view devices is to try to perfect a "virtual office" that I can set up anywhere I can sit or stand with a surface in front of me. And the Flow is so close! If I use it in phone mode with a keyboard and mouse synced to my phone, I can sort of do it, albeit with a single phone-shaped screen, and I have to disable the phone controller for it to not intercept mouse clicks. (Don't know if it's feasible to work out with Samsung phones how to use it as a screen for wireless DeX but that would be amazing.) But if I could sync a keyboard/trackpad combo with the Flow and then use them in Firefox Reality... that would be basically my perfect setup. Giant virtual screens hanging in the air, able to do almost everything that's cloud-accessible. That one thing -- being able to use Bluetooth keyboards and pointer devices with the Flow itself -- would turn it from "Novelty I use to watch ASMR videos before going to bed." to "Device I use on a daily basis and carry with me to use sitting down in public if I'm traveling or looking to write in a coffee shop or bar or something." On that note: while we're limited to phones, I also wish it were easier to switch between multiple phones to use as a controller. My previous phone is lighter than my current one and is much easier to use as a controller if I'm just trying to watch videos or something, whereas my current, heavier phone is better for actually doing things on. Ideally I would like to have both paired and change which one is active. Anyway. While my specific use case of wanting to be able to carry an office in a bag so my setup is the same everywhere is probably not super common, I'm sure other people would find other uses for this remarkably convenient-to-wear device... if it were convenient to use.