Short answers, pulled from the story.
HTC officially unveiled the Vive headset on the 1st of March 2015 during a Mobile World Congress keynote. This event marked the public debut of a partnership between HTC Corporation and Valve Corporation that would define virtual reality for years to come.
The first-generation HTC Vive headset contained two OLED display panels with a resolution of 1080×1200 per-eye. It operated at a refresh rate of 90 Hz with an 110-degree field of view.
Multiple external base stations installed in the play area contain an array of LED lights and two infrared lasers that sweep vertically and horizontally. Headsets and controllers contain photosensors which detect these LED lights to determine relative position in 3D space by comparing detections with laser timing.
Most HTC Vive headsets implement the SteamVR platform supporting all games and software using it. The Cosmos uses a software platform known as Vive Reality System rather than SteamVR, featuring the Lens user interface and integration with HTC's Viveport platform.
Since 2021, HTC has targeted the Vive line towards business and enterprise markets moving away from consumer markets. Vive General Manager Dan O'Brien stated that the consumer market had gravitated toward artificially subsidized price points while the enterprise market remained healthy and rapidly growing.