The HTV Vive Focus Plus virtual realty headset will go on sale in the UK next month, for an eye-popping £754. The business-focused device, which promises enhanced fresnel lenses and sharper true-to-life visuals, will be available to enterprise customers on April 15.
The new Focus Plus offers controllers with six degrees of freedom (6DoF), compared with 3DoF on its predecessor, while there’s also improved comfort to aid those long VR sessions.
HTC says it’s the best solution for businesses seeking to use VR for training, collaboration and communications. It’ll be available with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and 2880×1600 AMOLED display.
That £754 price tag breaks down as £639 for the headset itself and £115 for the Advantage commercial-use license. That’s up on the £460 the company charged for the original Vive focus.
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The standalone VR device arrives alongside the Oculus Quest, which is the first standalone VR headset built just for gaming. These devices will have much different audiences, it seems, so it’s unlikely they’ll be going head to head.
Given Facebook’s reputation for playing fast and free with user privacy, it’s unlikely businesses will be too concerned with the extra cash it costs to obtain the Vive Focus Plus headset either.
“With the unveiling of these enhancements for Vive Focus Plus, the VR industry is taking a big step forward with this new generation of full-fidelity standalone VR devices enabling total freedom of interaction and freedom of connection,” said Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC.
“We’re thrilled so many developers and partners are supporting this product with exciting experiences across a wide range of use cases, showcasing the incredible opportunity for VR/AR to enter all facets of our lives.”
Will you be snapping up a HTC Vive Focus Plus to get you some standalone VR action? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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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.