HTC VIVE Focus Plus: Freedom, Immersion, and World Exploration

Do you remember your first experience with VR?

At MWC2019, HTC, an old friend who has been deeply engaged in the VR field, brought us the HTC VIVE Focus Plus all-in-one VR machine. Compared with traditional head-mounted all-in-one machines that cost tens of thousands of yuan, VIVE Focus Plus is particularly affordable in terms of price. But in addition to the price that you care about, what other upgrades does VIVE Focus Plus have? Let's find out with us below!

The color of the HTC VIVE Focus Plus host is the same as the previous generation, both using the classic "panda machine" color scheme, which looks younger and more sporty than the all-black color used by other VR all-in-one products. Compared with the previous generation, VIVE Focus Plus also takes ergonomic issues into consideration, improves the padding for real user wearing scenarios, adjusts the weight ratio of the body, and is more user-friendly in terms of comfort.

One of the major advantages of HTC VIVE Focus Plus is that it can be used right after it is turned on. The simplified and tedious setup process makes it easier for ordinary users to get started. As an upgraded product, VIVE Focus Plus is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 835 mobile platform, and the screen uses two AMOLED displays (each with a resolution of 1440x1600). The display part is equipped with six-degree-of-freedom large-space tracking technology, high-precision nine-axis sensor and distance sensor.

Compared with the previous generation, the biggest upgrade of VIVE Focus Plus is that it is equipped with a pair of control handles that support six degrees of freedom (6DoF). The dual 6DoF handles allow unrestricted interaction, and the player's movement in the virtual space feels closer to the real space. The handles feel similar to VIVE CE in grip, but are slightly smaller in size, and the trigger feedback force is moderate and the response is also very sensitive. At the same time, the handles also support ultrasonic positioning technology, high-precision nine-axis sensors and distance sensors, which can track the user's spatial motion status.

In order to achieve an extraordinary immersive experience, VR needs to focus on the three dimensions of visual experience, auditory experience, and interactive experience at the same time. Each of these dimensions is crucial. Among the three dimensions, visual experience is the most intuitive. Since the VR glasses screen is very close to our eyes, the visual quality of VR requires that the screen pixels can be infinitely close to the real world, so as to achieve a sense of reality that is "indistinguishable from the real world".

The 3K AMOLED screen used by VIVE Focus Plus , combined with a 75Hz refresh rate, makes the display effect of VIVE Focus Plus more delicate and realistic, and the MTP delay lower than that of previous generations of products.

Thanks to the powerful image computing and rendering capabilities provided by the Adreno 540 GPU integrated in the Snapdragon 835, as well as the use of a new Fresnel lens, the combination of the two makes the display of VIVE Focus Plus smooth and realistic, and there is no "screen door effect" during the entire experience. The Adreno GPU supports visual focus area rendering (fovea), which can improve performance and save power, while also improving visual quality.

In terms of auditory experience, VIVE Focus Plus has dual speakers built into the bottom of the body. The speakers are very close to the ears when worn, and the stereo effect is satisfactory. For some games that require higher sound quality, VIVE Focus Plus is also equipped with a headphone jack to allow users to use their own headphone devices.

Intuitive interaction is actually second nature to humans, and VR interaction must be intuitive to achieve a deep immersive experience. Six-degree-of-freedom tracking (6-DoF) is a big step forward in interactive technology. Tracking can not only achieve basic simulation of up, down, left, and right, but also enable forward and backward movement in a constantly changing virtual reality environment. At the same time, with its innovative multi-mode function, VIVE Focus Plus can also connect to a variety of external devices to enjoy PC VR, computers, smartphones, game consoles, set - top boxes, 360-degree panoramic cameras, and the massive applications on the upcoming 5G cloud VR.

The extraordinary immersive experience is inseparable from the strong support of the content ecosystem. Currently, the Viveport app store has more than 2,000 VR content on PC and mobile terminals.

In addition, HTC has launched the first unlimited membership service in the VR field. Players can download and experience all the content in the VR all-in-one member area without limit by signing up for the membership service. VR players can finally get rid of the "choice phobia" and enjoy more game content without burden.

HTC VIVE Focus Plus VR all-in-one headset shows us a new direction for the VR industry. Free from the constraints of cables, a more free immersive experience, and a powerful content ecosystem are all delightful for gamers. We are one step closer to the future.

HTC VIVE Focus Plus will be unveiled at ChinaJoy in Shanghai soon, and there will be surprise news announced at that time, so stay tuned.