The HTC Vive Focus Plus offers developers and businesses a stand-alone virtual reality experience that can rival any device on the market, and it’s going to be available very soon. The first headsets will be released on April 15, but they’ll cost you a pretty penny.
Announced during the Vive Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen, China, the April 15 release date includes 25 different worldwide markets, as well as 19 languages. The Vive Focus Pro will set you back $799, but it isn’t designed as a consumer product like the standard Vive or the Vive Cosmos. Instead, it’s aimed at businesses, and its “six degrees of freedom” system should make it easier for those without VR experience to use it properly. This is in addition to Gaze control, as well as a hazard-spotting feature so you won’t end up bumping into someone while the Vive Focus Plus is on your head.
“With the newly added dual [six degrees of freedom] controllers and its multi-mode capability, Vive Focus Plus users not only enjoy native VR content, but also access a huge collection of existing content across devices,” HTC Vive said in a press release. “The new multi-mode capability will be compatible with PC VR, PCs and laptops, smartphones, game consoles, 2D video streaming devices, live 360 camera streaming and upcoming Cloud VR services.”
Some of its potential uses include an ultra-realistic virtual reality paintball game. HTC Vive explained that the Vive Focus Plus can be paired with haptic vests, meaning users can feel like they’re being hit by paintballs. For family-fun centers and arcades without access to the land for a traditional paintball course, this could be a great alternative.
The Vive Focus Plus is just one of the wireless headsets VR fans will be able to try, with the Oculus Quest also breaking away from the bundle of cables we’ve come to tolerate over the last few years. The HTC Vive Cosmos will also not feature wires, but it will still need to be tethered to another device in order to run. Still, simply not having to plug in multiple cables before starting a play session sounds like a dream come true.
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