HTC introduces standalone Vive Focus VR headset

HTC has revealed their next entry into the VR market with the Vive Focus, an all-in-one VR headset that is running on the Snapdragon 835 processor and uses inside-out positional tracking. With Daydream not available in China, HTC is positioning its Viveport store as the default gateway for customers looking to access VR content.

HTC announced a completely wireless Vive VR head unit this evening in China, called the Vive Focus.

HTC's standalone headsets weren't much of a secret really.

HTC and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) cancel plans to bring the Vive-branded Daydream VR headset to the USA market. Facebook's device will be priced $200 when it gets released next year; HTC was expected to sell its device for at least twice as much. It's unclear why HTC abandoned the Daydream partnership, especially when you consider that the company already finalized the headset design.

The Vive Wave, as an open platform for virtual reality content, will look to bring together the fragmented mobile virtual reality market in China.

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Alternatively, you can specify the High Wing, which maximizes downforce and is optimized for going around corners at track speeds. If track times are more important you can option the ZTK Performance Package that brings a range of more high performance extras.

Confirmed, no Daydream standalone from HTC, but we remain great partners. With its six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) support, the headset is said to offer "world-scale" tracking. Vive Wave will assure a higher consistency in the user experience on a variety of mobile VR devices across various price points, making quality VR more accessible to the mass market. However, unlike the HTC Vive as well as other standalone VR headsets, you don't need a phone nor a PC-ready rig to operate the headset.

HTC also confirmed that content designed for the HTC Vive will be downgraded to work smoothly with 20ms low latency on the HTC Vive Focus, but noted that this would be an nearly automatic process using the OpenVR-compatible SDK to optimize the content for medium-level hardware.

He said HTC's the decision to release the Focus in only China made sense.

HTC has officially pulled the plug on the standalone virtual reality ( VR ) headset the company was set to build with Google. There is also a single handheld controller for interacting with games and menus. HTC is hoping that with Vive Wave standardizing hardware and development for Vive products, it will allow for easier porting of VR content and apps between different devices and thus less tension for developers.