HTC unveiled the Vive Focus, a standalone virtual reality headset that does not require wires, a smartphone, or a high-end PC,
Alongside the new VR headset, HTC also announced the Vive Wave, an open platform content that will make it easier for developers to dive into virtual reality.
The Vive Focus features inside-out 6-degrees-of-freedom “world-scale” tracking. This means that it does not require connections to accessories such as base stations like the HTC Vive VR headset.
The appeal of the Vive Focus goes beyond its standalone capabilities though. According to Alvin Wang Graylin, the China President for HTC Vive, the Vive Focus will allow wearers to do most of the things that they could do with a VR headset on a high-end PC.
The Vive Focus will be able to offer the best of both worlds in the virtual reality industry. Users can experience premium virtual reality like what they can get from the high-end systems such as the HTC Vive, but with the portability provided by smartphone-powered options such as the Samsung Gear VR.
At the Vive Developers Conference, one of the suggested applications for the Vive Focus was for education. The standalone VR headset can be connected to other units for social interaction, and in a classroom setting, this could be used for teachers doing demonstrations. The Vive Focus will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and will feature a high-resolution AMOLED screen.
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