Standalone VR headsets are finally arriving to the market. May saw the release of both the Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo, both of which we reviewed. With the Oculus Santa Cruz hopefully arriving next year, it seems standalone devices are here to stay.
HTC is also getting involved, announcing the HTC Vive Focus will be coming to international markets later this year. The headset had a limited launch in China last year, so we’re excited to see it reach Western shores. In this post, we take a look at what we know about the HTC Vive Focus so far.
What is the HTC Vive Focus?
Much like the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the HTC Vive Focus is a standalone VR headset that has 6DoF ‘inside-out tracking’. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 VR processor powers the device, which runs on HTC’s Vive Wave open VR platform.
The headset will have 6DoF tracking thanks to the two front-facing cameras on the device.
Content will be delivered and accessed through the Viveport service, which the original HTC Vive and Vive Pro also use. A 3K AMOLED screen will produce a resolution of 2880 x 1600 and a field of view of 110-degrees.
The headset will have 6DoF tracking thanks to the two front-facing cameras on the device. Initially, the controller will only have 3DoF tracking, but HTC recently announced that 6DoF and hand motion tracking support will eventually be introduced.
The Vive Focus will have a quick-charging battery capable of providing up to three hours of battery life.
Initial reviews out of China are seemingly very good, so we’re excited to get our hands on the headset when it’s released in the UK and US.
When Will the Focus be Released?
So far, HTC has remained tight-lipped on when exactly we’ll see the headset.
All we know is that it will arrive at some point in 2018. No doubt we’ll soon be given information on pre-order and release dates, but we’re expecting it to launch in time for the winter holidays.
With the Oculus Santa Cruz seemingly still a while off, HTC will be eager to beat them to the market. Their other main competitor, the Mirage Solo, had an underwhelming release, while the Oculus Go has received wide praise.
How Much Will the Vive Focus Cost?
Sadly we also have no information on how much the headset will cost at launch either. However, the Mirage Solo cost £349/$399 upon release, so this could be a fair benchmark to expect.
The HTC Vive itself is currently £499/$499, so we’d be very surprised to see the Vive Focus cost more than that. However, we can expect HTC to set a precedent that Oculus is likely to follow with the project Santa Cruz headset.
Focus Final Thoughts
With only a few months of the year left, we are hoping to get further news of the Vive Focus soon. We’re intrigued to see whether the headset will bring a standalone experience that can approach that offered by the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. We’ll bring you updates as soon as we learn more.
