HTC Debuts New 'Vive Focus Plus' VR Headset; Available To Developers April 15 For $799 (uploadvr.com)

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HTC Debuts New 'Vive Focus Plus' VR Headset; Available To Developers April 15 For $799 (uploadvr.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Monday March 25, 2019 @10:00PM from the new-and-shiny dept.

HTC has debuted their new virtual-reality headset called the Vive Focus Plus. Starting at $799, the headset functions similarly to the Oculus Quest, which starts shipping this spring at half the cost, but has improved specifications and is geared towards the business market. HTC says the Vive Focus Plus would be available to developers on April 15. UploadVR reports: The Vive Focus Plus will ship in most markets with an enterprise license. The headset is said to launch with 250 Vive Wave applications while its Viveport Infinity subscription program claims to include "over 70 premium titles." [Some of the specifications include a 3K AMOLED (2880x1600) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 75Hz frame rate, 110-degree field of view, and inside-out tracking.]

HTC is a company that appears to be in technological transition -- with the Vive Focus Plus the latest example. HTC's first generation Vive headset debuted in 2016 for $$799, a full $200 more than the Rift with a wider feature set. That system relied on Valve's SteamVR Tracking technology to operate. All headsets HTC released since 2016, except for the Vive Pro, don't rely on this technology. It should still be possible for some HTC systems to interact with SteamVR content but we've yet to test that sort of of functionality in a home setting. While Vive Focus Plus is HTC's current standalone headset the company is also planning the convertible Vive Cosmos as well. It is hard to get a full picture right now of how different Vive Focus Plus and Oculus Quest are from another in actual real-world use. HTC is trying to gear the headset to the business market but it is not clear how the headset or its business license will outperform Oculus Quest for business use cases.

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too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-25 22:42 · Score: 2, Informative

Hp Reverb is full 4k 2160x2160 per eye, 114deg FOV, 90hz refresh, much less annyoing to setup inside out tracking (albeit less accurate it does the job in 90% of scenarios) and for 599$ ... no brainer to me...
1. Re:too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-25 23:33 · Score: 0
  
  Hp Reverb is full 4k 2160x2160 per eye, 114deg FOV, 90hz refresh, much less annyoing to setup inside out tracking (albeit less accurate it does the job in 90% of scenarios) and for 599$ ... no brainer to me...
  Since Google had a partial acquisition deal with HTC, I do not know if the HTC which puts out this product is really HTC, or is it a division of Google.
  But I agree with you, this product is way too expensive.
2. Re: too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-25 23:39 · Score: 0
  
  It's HTC and yes, very expensive.
3. Re:too little too late and too expensive by 110010001000 · 2019-03-25 23:52 · Score: 0
  
  2 camera WMR tracking? Isn't that kind of outdated?
4. Re: too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:09 · Score: 0
  
  My kid wanted one. I said we'll see. I'm making notes on prices at different sites and watching for when it comes down a bit.
5. Re: too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:23 · Score: 0
  
  As soon as one price drops the rest of the prices drop. A bit like dominos. Dumb
6. Re: too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:50 · Score: 0
  
  Smithers release the hounds
7. Re: too little too late and too expensive by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:54 · Score: 0
  
  Fuck you Dad buy it for me now!!!!!!
8. Re:too little too late and too expensive by mobby_6kl · 2019-03-26 06:53 · Score: 1
  
  You hook up the Reverb to a PC, this is a stand-alone headset on a Snapdragon SoC.
  Now in my opinion it and the Quest are garbage but many non-VR nerds will find the self-contained experience appealing, even if it has 1/10th of the performance and will be locked down.
What a mess of a post ! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:13 · Score: 0

Come ON ! Take a bit of pride in what you're doing.
Thousands of people read this stuff.
You owe it to them to at least learn some journalism BASICS, FFS !
1. Re: What a mess of a post ! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:40 · Score: 0
  
  No thank you
  Signed, literally everyone on earth
2. Re: What a mess of a post ! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:56 · Score: 0
  
  Lol only 50 people read Slashdot and make all the comments here
3. Re: What a mess of a post ! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 13:29 · Score: 0
  
  49. Your mom doesn't count. She was just there to wipe that stuff off your keyboard.
Does anyone buy these things? by UnknowingFool · 2019-03-26 00:38 · Score: 1

I don’t know anyone who owns a VR set. Granted I don’t know anyone who owns a Ferrari either

--
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
1. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 00:53 · Score: 0
  
  It's the "NeoGeo" of PC gaming. Epic, yet just as legendary as to who actually owned one.
2. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by AHuxley · 2019-03-26 00:59 · Score: 1
  
  The people who did not take the time to look for the new 4K competition?
  
  --
  Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
3. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Crookdotter · 2019-03-26 01:11 · Score: 1
  
  I have a vive. I play Elite in it. I'm willing to suffer the loss of resolution from a monitor for the immersive experience. Also, beat sabre is cool. They are expensive things to get and have a narrow use case, but hopefully the options will be wider and cheaper in the future and it will be similar to a joystick for gaming. Not essential, but a good purchase if you're into it.
4. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Xenolith0 · 2019-03-26 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  I've had the original Vive since release, and I still play multiple games, but by far, most of my time is spent in Pavlov VR (https://store.steampowered.com/app/555160/Pavlov_VR/) which is basically a CS:GO knock-off and amazing in a VR experience.
  In my opinion, which I'm sure HTC doesn't care about, they're really dropping the ball. I would buy an upgraded Vive in a heart-beat. Notably, a higher resolution is the obvious thing they could improve, but so much more could be done: lighter HMD, slimmer HMD, built-in wireless (current wireless solutions are quite cumbersome), slimmer/lighter cable, cheaper/included ankle trackers, etc.
  Instead, they released the VivePro which is barely an upgrade and costs way too much when compared to the Vive. Now they release this Focus Plus thing that, from reading the article, sounds like it has worse tracking than the first vive, and is "targeted at businesses" whatever that means, I suspect it means game experiences will suffer greatly.
5. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 03:30 · Score: 0
  
  I want one for racing sims. I haven't bought one yet because the racing sim landscape for Linux was pretty slim until late last year. They still don't have force feedback working reliably yet so I'm holding off purchasing everything.
6. Re: Does anyone buy these things? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 07:43 · Score: 0
  
  Lol so true. Out of all my friends growing up, one rich kid we knew owned the neo geo.
7. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Greyfox · 2019-03-26 10:42 · Score: 1
  
  I have a vive in my house. Built a gaming right just for it. Also have a racing cockpit with a force feedback steering wheel and pedals. It's great with Project Cars and light enough that we can slide it back out of the way if we want to play one of the room-scale VR titles we have. It was much less expensive than a Ferrari, but makes for a unique gaming experience that amazes everyone who visits the house.
  There still aren't a lot of worthwhile VR titles, but it does offer an amazingly unique experience. Currently the biggest complaints we have with the headset is the limited field of view and the wires connecting to the headset. We're keeping an eye out for a headset that's more comfortable, has a wider field of view and ideally also has wireless. Of the three, we're not holding our breath on wireless, but we are definitely planning to upgrade as soon as we find a headset we really like. I like a lot of what I see with the Vive Focus but might try to see it in action before we decide if we're going to buy one.
  
  --
  I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
8. Re:Does anyone buy these things? by Xenolith0 · 2019-03-26 12:02 · Score: 1
  
  Wireless is available now if you're willing to accept the need to fiddle with settings and drivers to get it to work. I have a TPCast, and when it works, it works really well. However, I often run into the need to reboot the headset or tpcast, or tpcast-router, sometimes multiple times to get the initial connection up, which is ... annoying.
  Official Vive Wireless:
  https://www.amazon.com/Vive-Wireless-Adapter-PC/dp/B07GKHNBCT/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=vive+wireless&link_code=qs&qid=1553644737&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  Unofficial TPCast Wireless:
  https://www.amazon.com/TPCast-Wireless-Adapter-HTC-VIVE-PC/dp/B074D471C4/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=vive+wireless&link_code=qs&qid=1553644737&s=gateway&sr=8-10
How much software is there out there? by johnsie · 2019-03-26 00:55 · Score: 1

Why would I pay $700 for something that isn't mainstream or might never be. They need to have a set of standards for VR so people will know what they are buying into. I don't want to risk buying a piece of hardware that has very little software/apps available.
1. Re: How much software is there out there? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 01:00 · Score: 0
  
  You don't understand. You are supposed to look at a sign, get excited for no reason, and give your money to a shithead in a dark room. No chance. No thanks.
2. Re:How much software is there out there? by AHuxley · 2019-03-26 01:01 · Score: 1
  
  Once Apple gets powerful GPU and CPU hardware for VR design work then creative people will pump out VR content.
  
  --
  Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
3. Re:How much software is there out there? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 02:35 · Score: 0
  
  Once Apple gets powerful GPU and CPU hardware for VR design work then creative people will pump out VR content.
  So you are saying that Apple does not innovate, is not creative, follows, and does not lead? Yeah, Apple has fallen into the same loser rut as before Jobs. Sad.
4. Re:How much software is there out there? by v1s10nary · 2019-03-26 04:00 · Score: 1
  
  Once Apple gets powerful GPU and CPU hardware for VR design work then creative people will pump out VR content.
  *Inserts Spongebob meme*
  "OnCE APpLE gets pOwERful gpu AnD CPU HaRdWARE..."
  
  --
  "The cause of fear is ignorance."
5. Re:How much software is there out there? by spire3661 · 2019-03-26 04:21 · Score: 1
  
  >Why would I pay $700 for something that isn't mainstream or might never be
  br> Because its an experience you cant get anywhere else. I have been a VR owner for 3 years now (vive and rift). It was worth every penny. I have stood in places you can only dream about. I know what its like to dodge bullets like Neo. I have sat on the Frozen Throne (that i constructed myself using Unreal Editor and ripped assets) I have held pretty much every famous fantasy sword in my hand, saw what it looked like from the wielders perspective. Ashbringer was a lot shorter than i expected. Orcrist is amazing to look down the blade.
  
  If you are concerned with things like TCO, or the value proposition, then VR isnt for you. There is joy in the motions of playing, of getting sweaty, of physically dodging incoming fire, of 'hitting the deck' . Its a visceral, hedonistic pleasure that is hard to hang a value on.
  
  --
  Good-bye
6. Re:How much software is there out there? by rfengr · 2019-03-26 04:41 · Score: 1
  
  You’ll only get virtually laid wearing that fucking headset.
7. Re:How much software is there out there? by WallyL · 2019-03-26 05:11 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not interested in VR personally, but your descriptions are very imaginative. Thank you for sharing that!
  Do you get to build your own assets in the virtual world, or do you only have the capacity to import pre-built objects/designs? Have you played through any of the Matrix as Neo? (Who, a college roommate kept insisting, actually took a bullet in the leg for his troubles during the famous Neo-doge-bullets scene.)
8. Re:How much software is there out there? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 05:58 · Score: 0
  
  Why would I pay $700 for something that isn't mainstream or might never be. They need to have a set of standards for VR so people will know what they are buying into. I don't want to risk buying a piece of hardware that has very little software/apps available.
  HP Reverb is fucking awesome. You better believe I'll be picking one up the second its available.
  Nobody is having compatibility issues with software. Everyone supports SteamVR interface. All the game engines all the software supports it.
9. Re: How much software is there out there? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 07:14 · Score: 0
  
  WRT their Neo comment, they're probably talking about SUPERHOT, a game where time only moves when you do, and you have to shoot, grab, and dodge through a variety of enemies. It's a fun experience on a normal setup, and even more so in VR.
varjo.com by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 03:34 · Score: 0

I've given up on buying VR kit itself, still rocking an DK1 which I've modified using a small 4K display, other mods i've made and am waiting to obtain varjo.com (when saved enough funds) rather then anything else new withing the VR realm :)
1. Re: Varjo.com by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-26 03:54 · Score: 0
  
  Just got back to making phones..
Varjo.com by BigDidge · 2019-03-26 03:44 · Score: 1

I've given up on buying new VR kit until I can save up enough to purchase VR-1, still rocking a DK1 which I've modded to 4K and some other addons while in-keeping with the general DK1 overall design. I did post prior but realised I was not logged in for some reason, sorry. That product just pulls me right in from VARJO and it's a case of if I had the money, take the wallet too, here take my shirt and the skin off my back, still happy! Even just to look at it!
next step ... games ? by Micah+NC · 2019-03-26 04:40 · Score: 1

Now that we have a handful of different VR hardware options ... would somebody like to start making some AAA games?
Business == we need money, pls! by DrYak · 2019-03-26 04:55 · Score: 1

and is "targeted at businesses" whatever that means, I suspect it means game experiences will suffer greatly.
It means we were quite optimistic when we projected the expected growth of the VR gaming market, and ended up no pushing out as many units today as we expected back then. (See CCP Games shutting down their VR R&D and shelfing projectes such as EVE: Valkyrie)
So in order to recoup cost, instead of aiming for more units (which will never find buyer, for lack of a big enough ecosystem of VR Games), we'll have to earn money buy selling more expensive "Premium" units. And we heard that the business sector is supposed to be some big spender.
So now we're waiting for a miracle for the business sector to suddenly find some killer application for VR tech to start buying our same shit at a higher price.

--
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Decent lenses? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-27 02:33 · Score: 0

Are they going to put decent lenses in this one that doesn't look like you are viewing everything from behind a screen door?