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The HTC Vive Focus headset has reportedly shown up at the FCC, displaying that the standalone VR headset is going through the U.S. certification process on its way to a launch within the country. HTC has already confirmed that the once China-exclusive VR headset would be reaching U.S. shelves at some point in 2018 but it didn’t state when exactly the headset would be released. With the FCC certification now seemingly underway it would appear that a U.S. launch of the Vive Focus would be sooner rather than later.
HTC’s Vive Focus standalone VR headset was essentially the replacement for the standalone Daydream headset that it was supposed to launch after it was announced at least year’s Google I/O. It doesn’t run on Google’s Daydream platform and instead utilizes its own proprietary platform called Vive Wave that was built by HTC’s Vive team, and it will also have access to Viveport for downloadable games and apps, and is the same Viveport that you can find on the HTC Vive and Vive Pro headsets that are designed for use with the PC. With HTC having already confirmed that Western markets would be getting access to the Focus this year all that’s left for consumers to do is to really wait until it launches so they can get their hands on it.
Once that happens, consumers will no doubt be coughing up a substantial amount to grab one, as it will end up costing quite a bit more than a Daydream View or Gear VR. That’s the price to pay though for a headset whose hardware is completely self-contained, foregoing the need for a smartphone or PC to power the experience. The HTC Vive Focus is powered instead by an integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and offers up to 1,100 titles to choose from in terms of available content. While there’s no set price for U.S. consumers yet it certainly won’t be cheap, though with the falling price of the HTC Vive on the PC, and competing standalone headsets like the Oculus GO costing $200, HTC may choose not to charge too much for the Vive Focus once it does launch.
