HTC’s standalone headset, the Vive Focus, will be available for pre-order in China on December 12, with shipping expected in January.
The Focus available in white for 3,999 yuan or about $600, or limited-edition blue for 4,299 yuan or about $650.
These prices are similar to HTC’s original Vive, which currently costs $599 in the U.S., but does not require a PC (or even a smartphone) to operate.
The headset features 6 DoF “world scale” inside-out tracking, but no further details of how it works have been released. It also comes with a 3 DoF Bluetooth.
It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and has a 2,880 x 1,600 single-piece AMOLED display. The Vive, by comparison, has two 2,160 x 1,200 AMOLED displays. It has the same 110-degree field of viewThe angle of space viewable from a given lens position. as the Vive, but a slightly reduced refresh rateThe frequency at which an image is drawn on screen during playback, expressed as the number of cycles per second (hertz)... More of 75 Hz versus 90 Hz for the Vive.
The headset will also have built-in audio, and a number of ergonomic features, including adjustable interpupillary distanceThe distance between the pupils of the eye / lenses of a camera in stereoscopic photography. control, water-resistant padding, and is glasses-friendly. Although we don’t know what the headset will weigh yet, HTC said it will be comfortable enough for all-day wear.
One benefit of the untethered headset is its ease of use. Users will be able to pop it on (and off) and the headset will immediately turn on/off.
A single charge via Quick Charge 3.0 via USB-C will power the Focus for 3 hours of continuous use (or a week on standby) and the AAA battery-powered controller will last for 30 hours.
The Vive Focus also has WiFi capabilities and will be able to stream to TVs.
It’s still uncertain when (or even if) the headset will launch in NorthThe point of origin where a viewer enters a 360° scene, also serves as a frame of reference for orienting discussions a... More America and Europe, with no further information on availability outside of China, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
