HTC's Latest Masterpiece: The VIVE Focus Vision

Still on a roll in the fast-changing world of VR, HTC has this week announced its latest high-end addition to the VIVE family, the VIVE Focus Vision. In many ways, the new VIVE Focus Vision is a bit like a bookend to the highend VIVE Pro, a recent addition that rounds out the top end of HTC’s VR ecosystem. Together, these devices are part of the company’s effort to be a dominant player in both the premium gaming and premium enterprise VR sectors. So, what is the new VIVE Focus Vision like, and why is it so important in the global marketplace?

Unveiling the Future with HTC VIVE Focus Vision

With a $999 MSRP for consumers and $1,299 for enterprises, the VIVE Focus Vision is the most expensive headset HTC has ever made, and it has out-of-the-box professional features that were once reserved for enterprise. ‘The VIVE Focus Vision is our first dual-purpose solution as a standalone headset and, with the addition of the DisplayPort mode, you can also use as a tethered PCVR headset,’ says Shen Ye, the Global Head of Product at HTC VIVE.

A Closer Look at What Sets the VIVE Focus Vision Apart

HTC’s engineers really began from a solid base set by the VIVE Focus 3, and expanded the device’s appeal to immersive training, collaboration and some mixed reality applications – all while retaining its advantages as a VR headset. I’ve singled out features that will almost certainly be of most interest to XR professionals, such as that DisplayPort mode being particularly well suited to training, defence and healthcare professionals, or to manufacturers looking to add XR capabilities to their operations.

The Edge of Innovation: Features That Fascinate

The VIVE Focus Vision has eye-tracking built into it and stereo colour passthrough cameras, thanks to those stereo cameras that track your eye movements, it can deliver a depth-correct mixed reality experience that is as immersive as it is intuitive. The headset has an infra-red sensor for tracking your hands when you take them out of the headset, which the company claims will work in low light, as well as a cooling system and secondary battery arrangement that aim to solve lengthy sessions.

Exploring The Impressive Tech Inside HTC's VIVE Focus Vision

The VIVE Focus Vision is a bold step forwards in every respect. Its custom optics boast dual 16MP colour cameras with a combined 5k resolution per eye. Its up to 120-degree FOV, 90Hz refresh rate and the ability to output at 120Hz via DisplayPort mode (later in 2024) transports you to a whole different level of immersive sensory experiences. Even its depth sensors for scene recognition and the previously mentioned infra-red sensor represent an exhaustive feature set.

The Competitive Landscape: Where the VIVE Focus Vision Stands

Both because of the position it fills in HTC’s lineup and the place it holds in the competitive matrix of the XR market, the VIVE Focus Vision could prove a serious threat to Meta’s Quest Pro as well as Apple’s Vision Pro, especially at the price it appears to offer for both consumer and business bundles. At the high end of the market, the Focus Vision now has a firm foothold, sandwiched between HTC’s enterprise-class cutting-edge full-featured VIVE Focus 3 and the more approachable cost of a genuine VR/XR headset, the VIVE XR Elite, pitched more toward gamers.

Understanding HTC and Its Pioneering Path

With the VIVE and VIVE Focus series all the way through to the recently announced VIVE Focus Vision, HTC has shown just what it is capable of and what it takes to be an industry pacesetter when it comes to pushing the boundaries of VR and beyond. With technology such as the latest generation display, eye-tracking, head-tracking and beyond, HTC is continuing to set the bar high for what’s required in the highly technical and demanding space of high-end gaming, without losing sight of the practical and effective needs of enterprise solutions.

The new VIVE Focus Vision pre-orders ship on 18 October. Staring is bound to happen and users it’s bound to please, cementing HTC’s legacy as the maker of groundbreaking VR devices for years to come. Whether you’re gaming, training, or designing one of the next wave of killer apps that will fuse virtual experiences with our real world through mixed reality, VIVE Focus Vision has the power to redefine what’s possible and what’s coming. Stay tuned.