Ambiguity aside, this is still really exciting.
Although it may not have a prominent place in the smartphone market, HTC is currently dominating the VR world with its Vive headsets. Shortly after launching pre-orders for its new Vive Pro, HTC’s now confirmed that its Vive Focus headset will be expanding to ‘global markets.’
Per HTC’s official blog post –
Today at GDC 2018, HTC Vive announced that we are bringing Vive Focus to the global markets later this year. Vive Focus is the first 6DOF stand-alone VR headset to be commercially available. We also are making Vive Focus developer kits available to registered developers in most countries through our developer portal, starting today.
Unlike the Vive and new Vive Pro, the Vive Focus doesn’t need to be connected to a PC to deliver immersive virtual reality experiences. Instead, everything is done right within the headset itself.
While that is similar to what Lenovo’s currently working on with its Mirage Solo Daydream headset, the Vive Focus is different for a couple of key reasons. In addition to running its own custom software rather than Google’s Daydream platform, it also features “Six Degrees of Freedom” (6DoF) tracking.
Android Central’s Russel Holly recently got a chance to go hands-on with the Vive Focus while attending GDC 2018, and he describes the 6DoF system as follows –
Vive Focus is an untethered Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) headset, which means you can move around like you would if you were using an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, but the headset isn’t attached to a phone or computer. All of the tracking, processing, and connectivity bits are contained within the headset, with its own battery and controller. Where Daydream, Cardboard, and Gear VR only let you turn your head to explore a virtual space, the Vive Focus lets you lean down to see more of the world.
It’s unclear at this time which ‘global markets’ HTC will target for the Vive Focus’s expanded release, but we’ll keep our ears to the ground and let you know as soon as we learn more.
HTC’s Vive Focus VR headset is super cool, but you can’t have one
