HTC today announced more specifics around Vive Focus, the company’s standalone mobile VR headset for China-based customers.
Once destined for Western shores running Google’s Daydream platform, HTC recently surprised the world by scrapping those plans and limiting the release of the standalone headset to China where it will run the company’s ‘open source’ API Vive Wave and a mobile version of the Viveport store. While we were fairly certain of the headset’s basic specs thanks to Qualcomm’s reference design, not much else was known about the headset until today.
As reported by YiVian, HTC is putting out two versions: Electric Blue for ¥4,299 (~$650) and Almond White for ¥3,999 ($600). Besides a change in color, there doesn’t appear to be any difference between the two technically. Both 6 DoF headsets, which use HTC’s own ‘World Scale’ positional tracking, will arrive with a 3 DoF Bluetooth controller.
Pre-orders for China-based customers start December 12th and last until January 12th. HTC expects to start shipping its first wave of Focus headsets in China starting sometime in January 2018.
VIVE Focus Headset Specs
- Tracking technology & sensors: World-Scale tracking (inside-out 6-degree-of-freedom),9-axis sensors, proximity sensor
- Display: 3K AMOLED, resolution 2880 x 1600
- Refresh rate: 75 Hz
- FOV: 110 degrees
- Adjustable IPD: Supported
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 835
- Storage: MicroSD™ slot,up to 2TB MicroSD™ external memory
- For data and device charging: USB Type-C
- Audio input/output: Built-in microphones, built-in speakers, 3.5mm stereo audio jack
- Wireless: Wi-Fi® 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, support to transmit contents to Miracast™ compatible devices
- Power and battery: Built-in rechargeable battery, QC3.0 fast charging, up to 3 hours* of active use time, over one week* standby time
VIVE Focus controller
- Sensors: 9-axis sensors
- Buttons: Touch pad, app button, home button, volume +/- button, trigger
- Power and battery: Two AAA batteries, up to 30 hours* of active use time
Update (12:20 PM ET): It was previously stated the HTC Vive Focus features Google’s WorldSense tracking. The company reached out to us to correct this, saying the headset incorporates their own ‘World Scale’ positional tracking solution.