HTC’s new Vive Focus Plus VR Headset

HTC has announced that the Vive Focus Plus, a new virtual reality headset will launch on April 15. According to HTC, the Vive Focus Plus is a self-contained headset with fully tracked motion controllers. The new Vive Focus Plus VR headsets has the same design but enhance capability than HTC’s Vive Focus. That is launched with similar specs but more limited tracking options. It’s loosely similar to the upcoming Oculus Quest, but instead of aiming at a mass-market gaming audience, HTC designed the Vive Focus Plus for business customers.

Vive Focus Plus VR Headset

For any VR headsets, the main thing is the specifications. For the Vive Focus Plus, like the original Vive Focus, is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. Its screen offers 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye, on par with the Oculus Quest and other newer headsets, although it’s more modest than something like the high-resolution HP Reverb. The Vive Focus and Focus Plus both use built-in cameras for inside-out tracking, so there are no wires or external cameras.

The Vive Focus Plus is completely standalone. It does not connect to a PC, and the controllers use ultrasonic-based controller tracking for six degrees for freedom (6DoF) without additional hardware. It comes with two controllers, powered by AAA batteries for about four hours of continuous use. The last Focus headset only had a single remote-style controller included. The Vive Focus Plus has dual cameras on the front like other Vive headsets. It has “inside-out” tracking, eliminating the need for external cameras or trackers. One plus side, it has a USB Type-C port with Quick Charge 3.0 so you can get up and running faster.

The Vive Focus Plus promises improved visuals via new Fresnel lenses — kind of like in a lighthouse — and its dual wireless controllers should provide more PC-like full-motion 6DoF tracking, as opposed to the single 3DoF controller that came with the first Vive Focus.