HTC just announced that it will sell the standalone Vive Focus Plus virtual reality headset beginning April 15 for $799. HTC first revealed the enterprise-focused headset at its annual Vive Ecosystem conference in China.
The Vive Focus Plus comes with fully tracked motion controllers, an improvement over the Vive Focus, which launched with similar specs but more limited tracking abilities. The headset is a bit similar to the forthcoming Oculus Quest, only it's focused on business folks whereas Facebook's device is geared more toward the mass market.
HTC Vive Focus Plus Specs
HTC will allow visitors to its Vive Ecosystem Conference to demo 15 apps for the Vive Focus Plus, a roster which includes at least one game, a Paintball VR experience where the headset comes paired with a haptic vest. Even still, HTC describes the headset as something meant for enterprise users. It'll launch in 25 markets with support for 19 different languages.
The Vive Focus Plus touts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, similar to the regular Vive Focus headset. Its display offers a resolution of 1,440 x1,600 pixels per eye, making it a fine competitor to the Oculus Quest and other newer rigs, although the just-unveiled HP Reverb knocks everyone out of the park in this regard.
Inside-Out Tracking
The headset uses built-in cameras for inside-out tracking. The Verge got to try the system out and says the tracking felt a bit unreliable, although it notes that could be because the trade show was crowded and might have confused the cameras.
As previously mentioned, the Vive Focus Plus comes with two controllers tracked via the cameras, much like on the Oculus Quest. It's not clear if the headset will attract businesses, but it's certainly got a lot of potential. The only hurdle is its hefty $800 price tag, but that could be mere pennies for large developers and companies.
