HTC will release Vive Focus standalone VR headset outside of China later this year

HTC will release its standalone VR headset Vive Focus in countries other than China later this year. The company does not provide an exact date. Developers worldwide can now request a developer version.

HTC released the Vive Focus with Snapdragon 835-soc in China late last year. Now the Taiwanese manufacturer has announced that the standalone VR headset will come to “international markets” “later this year”. Whether that means that the Vive Focus will also be available in the Benelux is not yet clear, but in any case the VR headset should be for sale outside of China this year.

At the announcement, HTC says that as of now, Vive Focus developer kits are available to developers in “most countries.” To be eligible for such a devkit, developers must apply through HTC’s developer website.

HTC also wants to encourage developers to create and release more VR content via the Viveport store. Between April and September this year, developers who release content for the Vive Focus and the regular Vive headset will receive full revenue from sales through Viveport in China.

The Vive Focus has an OLED screen with a resolution of 2880×1600 pixels and a refresh rate of 75Hz. The angle of view is 110 degrees. The standalone headset should work for about three hours on a full battery. In China, the Vive Focus costs from 3999 yuan, converted that is currently about 514 euros. It is not yet known what the price of the Vive Focus will be outside of China.