Skip to main content

HTC’s stand-alone Vive Focus killed off its Daydream headset in the U.S.

HTC Vive Focus Headset Announcement
Following Oculus’ reveal of its Go stand-alone headset, HTC has unveiled the Vive Focus headset, offering tracking capabilities similar to its high-end namesake, without the need for a smartphone or PC to power it. The only downside to this midrange headset design is that it appears to have killed off any chance of a Google Daydream-compatible HTC headset coming to the U.S.

At the end of 2017, the state of the virtual reality industry is becoming interesting. Although there is more content than ever before, many users still lament the lack of AAA titles and experiences and there are still far more mobile VR users than those wearing high-end, PC-based headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. With that in mind, it makes sense that HTC is looking to release something that will occupy the middle ground.

We learned earlier this year that HTC was working with Google on a Daydream-compatible headset, and that was expected to be the stand-alone design that was teased by HTC for so long. But as TechCrunch confirms, that’s no longer happening, at least in Western markets. The question now remains whether the Vive Focus will replace it, or if this represents a refocusing of its efforts to more lucrative Asian audiences.

Wherever it ends up releasing, the HTC Vive Focus, much like the Oculus Go, appears to target that relatively untapped mid-range market segment. It features similar hardware to Oculus’ portable offering, with a built-in processor and display, though HTC claims slightly more impressive specifications. Although we don’t have key details, the Focus is said to sport a “high-resolution AMOLED” display, which could offer better contrast than the Go’s LCD panel. We’re also told that the Focus will be capable of six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) movement, which means some form of inside-out positional tracking.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

That’s not something offered by the Go and could be a big selling point for HTC’s new headset. Being able to walk around, so-called “roomscale tracking,” was a major component of the HTC Vive’s early success against the Rift. Having the same advantage over the Oculus Go could make the Vive Focus much more popular in turn.

Both the Go and the Focus utilize onboard processing to render their visuals. While we don’t know what powers the Oculus Go, we do know that the HTC Vive Focus will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, which is a very capable mobile processor. It won’t stand up to a desktop PC’s power, but it should be enough to render some very pretty portable experiences.

The controller is not said to be tracked in the same manner as the headset, only offering three degrees of movement, but there is the potential for supporting more complex controller systems.

In terms of software, HTC hasn’t revealed what the Focus will be compatible with, but did say it could allow for social interaction with other HTC headsets, according to Engadget. With “world-scale” tracking, as HTC describes it, there’s no reason to think it couldn’t support a large part of the existing Vive library of experiences, too.

We don’t have any details on availability or pricing for the HTC Vive Focus as of yet, but it’s expected to debut somewhere around the $200 price point of the Oculus Go. As CNet points out though, it’s possible that the more capable tracking solution could support a slight price hike over the competition.

Update: Added mention of HTC Daydream headset cancellation.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
This new AI animation tool is blowing people’s minds
Image being animated with RunwayML motion brush

More AI tools are popping up to advance features of the popular generators that are already available, and the latest one is blowing people's minds.

One AI research company, Runway, has recently introduced the second generation of its Motion Brush tool, which helps animate aspects of AI-generated images, such as those created in Midjourney. The simple brush tool to animate images feels like magic -- which is always true when AI is done right. The video below, as posted by AI enthusiast, Rory Flynn, shows the new tool in action.

Read more
Best gaming PC deals: Save on top Alienware, Lenovo, and HP rigs
young woman playing video games on a PC

There's something for every type of gamer in our roundup of gaming PC deals -- whether you're looking for a budget machine, or you want one of the best gaming PCs so that you can play the best PC games at their most demanding settings. We've broken down our favorite offers according to where you stand in the Intel versus AMD rivalry, but either way, you need to hurry if one of these gaming desktops catches your eye as we're not sure how long stocks will last for any of them.
Best gaming PC deals (Intel)

Intel processors deliver amazing performance for gaming PCs, especially if you go for the brand's latest 13th-generation Intel Core processors. You'll just have to make sure that you pair the Intel processor with sufficient RAM for your needs, as you wouldn't want to end up with an unbalanced machine. We've rounded up the best gaming PC deals featuring Intel processors below, but you have to choose what you want to buy quickly because there's no telling when the offers will expire.

Read more
Best iPad deals: Save on iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad Mini for the holidays
iPad Pro 2020 Screen

Buying an iPad for yourself or as a gift for a loved one is a great idea. The tablets are very simple to use while offering a surprising amount of power depending on the model you choose. There's pretty much one for every situation with the standard 10.2-inch iPad perfect for all the family, while the iPad Pro is great for if you need to conduct some video editing on the move. There's always the iPad Air for strong performance too while the iPad Mini is great for portability. With so many Apple deals around, we've highlighted some of the very best so you can save big on a new iPad this holiday season.
Best 10.2-inch iPad deals

The standard 10.2 or 10.9-inch iPad remains one of the best iPads for someone on a budget, particularly when it comes to older generations like the 8th or 9th generation models. If you just want an easy to use tablet to browse the internet, watch some streaming shows, and do other straightforward tasks, it's a reasonable solution. Just don't expect premium features like the M1 processor or a high-end display.

Read more