HTC has launched the Vive Focus, an all-in-one virtual reality headset that does away with external cables and tracking beacons.
Instead, the Vive Focus has all the hardware it needs to power VR apps and games within the headset itself. Key specs include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip, the likes of which can be found in the Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy S8 phones, a high-resolution AMOLED display, and a sensors that provide tracking for the user and their position in a virtual world.
Rather than offer the full experience of the HTC Vive without the wires, the Vive Focus and its specs reveal something akin to a VR headset with a powerful smartphone in it with additional sensors.
This would make sense as HTC had been planning on working with Google to make a VR headset based on the search giant’s Daydream VR platform, but it would appear that those plans have been cancelled and the Vive Focus happened instead.
Design-wise, the Vive Focus looks a little like the original HTC Vive has been mixed with the PlayStation VR headset. It sports a bight blue finish and has a slightly rounded look to it. A rather basic-looking touch and motion tracking controller also looks to be part of the Vive Touch package.
Currently, HTC has only revealed plans to release the Vive Focus in China and has kept quiet on release dates and prices, meaning there’s a chance that the headset may never make it West.
Nevertheless, it demonstrated that there’s still an appetite for VR, and given the Vive Focus will support HTC’s newly announced Vive Wave platform for allowing optimised VR development for mobile devices, we can expect to see more VR games and immersive experiences emerge in the very near-future.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
