HTC unveiled the Vive Focus Vision gadget with colour passthrough
HTC has announced the Vive Focus Vision, an updated virtual reality headset with improved PC tethering and colour passthrough capabilities. HTC’s website allows you to preorder the $999 Focus Vision until October 17th.
The Focus Vision may be used alone or linked to your PC via USB-C. It’s essentially an enhanced version of the Focus 3, which the company introduced in 2021. It uses a Snapdragon XR2 CPU and has the same 120-degree field of view and 2448 x 2448 per-eye resolution. On the other hand, it has features such as two 16MP cameras with colour passthrough and the ability to automatically change lenses based on the distance between your eyes.
HTC’s headgear is aimed squarely at gamers. Foveated rendering, which enables it to focus its graphical resources just where you’re looking rather than throughout your whole field of view at once, is one example. A press release claims that PC players may now outfit their houses with the same premium equipment seen in VR arcades. Shen Ye is the worldwide director of product for HTC Vive.
Additionally, the Focus Vision supports DisplayPort via USB-C, which HTC claims enables for a lossless connection when connected to a PC. Additionally, DisplayPort tethering will let the displays’ refresh rate be increased from the regular 90Hz to 120Hz with an update late this year. The Focus Vision boasts 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in its predecessor, and 128GB of storage (with a microSD card for a further 2TB). The headset is also compatible with all Focus 3 add-ons.
If the Focus Vision’s two-hour battery life runs out, you may change the main power pack within the 20-minute built-in battery life. The company says that the headset includes a new fan that would increase cooling by pulling in 30% more air.
There was also praise for the head strap. Dan O’Brien, President of HTC Americas, said that users may be rather nasty. However, this showed the Focus 3’s design flaws, and HTC “improved the metal hook for the back, topside handling, as well as the side arms” as a result.
With controls similar to the Quest 2, HTC’s Focus 3 seems to be aimed at the same consumer market that the Vive Focus Vision presently serves. (The earlier emphasis headsets had a strong business emphasis.) HTC has also launched consumer-oriented headsets, such as the Vive XR Elite from the previous year, which is lighter than the Vision and costs $1,099, but also supports colour passthrough video on monitors with lower resolutions.
Customers who make orders before October 17th will get a free package that includes numerous adapters for PC VR streaming and a 5-meter USB-C cable with support for DP 1.4 alternate mode. The business also states that it will provide three well-liked gaming bundles.
