HTC’s Vive Focus Vision Offers a Glimpse of Crystal Clear VR—When It Works

Virtual reality has been fighting a constant battle of “almost there” for over a decade. We finally have inexpensive VR headsets that are powerful enough to stand on their own without being attached to an overpowered gaming rig. But if you want the highest-quality experience, you’re still looking at a tethered experience. That’s the focal point of HTC's Vive Focus Vision.

This is the latest in HTC’s line of high-end VR headsets for PC gaming (or PCVR for short, not to be confused with Sony’s PSVR 2 headset, which is now kind of a PCVR headset). The Vive Focus Vision touts eye tracking, full-color passthrough vision for mixed reality apps—or just seeing where your coffee table is without taking the headset off—and even automatic alignment with your eyes.

It’s an impressive list of features, but it also means this headset starts at $1,000—before you even get to the connection kit you’ll likely need to get lossless video from your desktop. Where (most) other headsets are moving down the price chain toward affordability, HTC still thinks there’s room for luxury headsets. I’m not sure I’m sold yet.

Comfort First

The Vive Focus Vision wants to be a unique blend of stand-alone headset and PCVR accessory. You can technically use it wirefree, without connecting it to a desktop PC. That flexibility is a benefit but also a design challenge. For a headset to operate independently, it needs to pack more hardware onto your head.

HTC cleverly tackles this problem by putting the battery at the back of the headrest. The front holds the displays, lenses, and cameras, while two rigid plastic brackets connect it to a rear cushion that houses a swappable battery. This isn’t the first HTC headset to take this approach, but it’s a welcome design choice. The brackets also house small speakers, so you don’t have to plug earbuds in while using the headset.