A premium VR headset with common efficiency

Let’s get this straight up entrance: The Vive Focus Imaginative and prescient is not a competitor to the Meta Quest 3, or the lately launched Quest 3S. At $999, how may or not it’s? As a substitute, it is one other stab on the high-end VR marketplace for HTC Vive, an viewers it is cultivated for the reason that launch of the primary Vive headset in 2016. Whereas Meta has leaned extra in direction of cheaper and extra mainstream VR headsets over the past decade, HTC Vive has performed virtually the other, aiming for VR gearheads and enterprise prospects with PC headsets just like the Vive Professional 2 and feature-rich standalone fashions just like the Focus 3.

You’ll be able to consider the Vive Focus Imaginative and prescient as a cross between the Focus 3 and final yr’s goggle-like XR Elite. It is a standalone headset with two 16MP shade cameras for combined actuality, built-in eye monitoring and automated interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment. It is also interesting to PC avid gamers with its $149 DisplayPort wired streaming package, which supplies you an uncompressed view of high-end VR experiences like Half-Life: Alyx.

{Hardware}: An growing old CPU

As intriguing as its new options are, although, the extra I examined the Focus Imaginative and prescient, the extra it felt like a missed alternative for HTC’s Vive VR platform. For one, it is working the identical Snapdragon XR2 chip because the Focus 3 and Quest 2. That chip initially debuted in 2020, and it merely appears inexcusable in a high-end headset immediately. Each the $300 Quest 3S and $500 Quest 3 sport the XR2 Gen 2 processor, which is 2.5 instances sooner than the unique chip and likewise has as much as eight instances sooner AI processing. For a high-end headset on the tail-end of 2024, I might have anticipated HTC to a minimum of match the ability of far cheaper rivals, or – even higher – to incorporate Qualcomm’s newer XR2+ Gen 2 chip.

The Focus Imaginative and prescient can also be nonetheless utilizing older Fresnel lens optics, that are vulnerable to artifacts and light-weight bleeding, as a substitute of the sharper pancake lenses within the Quest 3. At the least HTC shoved in 12GB of RAM this time round, in comparison with the 8GB discovered on the Focus 3 and Quest 3. And the corporate nonetheless has a decision benefit over the Quest 3: The Focus Imaginative and prescient delivers 2,448 by 2,448 pixels per eye, in comparison with Meta’s 2,064 by 2,208 pixels per eye. HTC Vive’s 120-degree area of view additionally delivers a larger sense of immersion than the 110-degree FOV within the Quest 3.

The Focus Imaginative and prescient shines greatest in relation to general construct high quality and luxury. Despite the fact that it is fabricated from plastic just like the Quest 3, it is a sturdy machine that clearly seems extra high-end than Meta’s choices. Ample cushioning helps the Focus Imaginative and prescient relaxation comfortably in your brow and behind your noggin. And its halo-like head strap, along with the power to flip up the visor, makes it straightforward to slide on over massive glasses.

Better of all, the Focus Imaginative and prescient contains a detachable battery behind its headstrap. That gives a useful counterweight to the cumbersome front-end, and it may conceivably allow you to keep in wi-fi VR all day for those who’ve acquired sufficient spare batteries. The headset additionally has a small built-in battery, which lets you keep in your VR session even while you’re swapping out the bigger rear energy cell. That is the form of factor we’ll most likely by no means see in a client Quest headset, because it’s just too costly to implement, and Meta is not constructing for enterprise prospects who demand steady wi-fi. (And to be truthful, it is also straightforward to simply plug the Quest 3 right into a USB battery pack.)

In use

Utilizing the Focus Imaginative and prescient does not really feel a lot totally different than the Focus — a headset I favored once I reviewed in 2021, however as a business-focused machine I warned that no client ought to truly purchase it. That is not too stunning, I suppose, since each headsets share the identical primary design, shows and CPU. In standalone VR mode, taking part in the Maestro demo genuinely made me really feel like I used to be conducting an orchestra (an expertise I additionally had on the Quest 3S), and I loved hopping round just a few digital worlds in VR Chat.

Different experiences, just like the basic underwater VR quick theBlu, felt simply as immersive as they did on clunkier tethered headsets. Whereas I may inform the Focus Imaginative and prescient did not have the perfect lenses round, and I needed it had extra graphical horsepower, it nonetheless delivered a thrill as I stood in the midst of a sunken shipwreck, ready for an infinite blue whale to go by. It was additionally good to see the Vive app storefront a bit extra populated than it was in 2021. Nonetheless, it pales compared to Meta’s Quest library, which has way more titles and loads of compelling exclusives (together with Star Wars titles just like the Vader Immortal sequence and Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge).

We already knew that HTC Vive may construct an honest headset – the Focus Imaginative and prescient’s controllers and audio system are simply as succesful as they have been on the earlier mannequin – however what concerning the Focus Imaginative and prescient’s new options, like combined actuality and eye monitoring? Sadly, there’s not a lot to say simply but. There are a handful of combined actuality experiences obtainable, just like the creation app Figmin XR and the shooter Yuki, however they are not precisely thoughts blowing. The Focus Imaginative and prescient’s 16MP combined actuality cameras ship a fuzzy view of the actual world (much like the Quest 3 and 3S), so it is not practically as immersive as one thing just like the far pricier Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

The Focus Imaginative and prescient’s eye monitoring function additionally refused to work for me fully, even after I attempted to calibrate it with out glasses a number of instances. That didn’t look like an enormous loss although, as there are solely a handful of video games within the Vive retailer that assist it (like Capsule Critters and Mare). It is a function that appears extra helpful for builders who need to construct their very own eye monitoring experiences, than it’s for individuals who simply need to play video games with eye monitoring.

Strong stand-alone VR

A greater promoting level for the Focus Imaginative and prescient is its capacity to stream uncompressed desktop VR experiences — however solely while you spend money on the $149 DisplayPort streaming package. Whereas Meta’s Quest’s headsets have been ready to hook up with PCs for years, first through USB-C cables then wirelessly, in addition they ship a closely compressed view of desktop VR. By going straight to the DisplayPort connection in your video card, HTC Vive goals to ship one thing nearer to what we noticed with the Vive Professional 2 and different devoted PC headsets.

After taking part in half an hour of Half-Life: Alyx, I can verify that the Focus Imaginative and prescient delivers a stable desktop VR expertise, particularly for a standalone headset. However provided that it already prices $999 and requires a further $149 accent to get there, it is laborious to inform who will discover this compelling. True VR heads have seemingly already invested in severe desktop setups just like the Valve Index, or the current Bigscreen Past (which makes use of absurdly clear microLED screens just like the Imaginative and prescient Professional).

The fantastic thing about connecting standalone headsets to PCs has all the time been about worth. It was an enormous bonus when the $300 Quest 2 may ship enough desktop VR. However that simply is not the case for the Focus Imaginative and prescient. I suppose for those who’re a developer who needs a single machine for testing each standalone VR and complicated desktop experiences, or working for a enterprise that wants multi-use VR headsets, the Focus Imaginative and prescient may fill some form of want. However both method, that looks as if a reasonably area of interest use case.

The Focus Imaginative and prescient’s auto-IPD adjustment, which scans your eyes and bodily strikes the lenses to be within the splendid place, was additionally hit-or-miss for me. Typically it labored simply effective and landed close to my prescribed IPD of 66. However typically the automated course of would land on an IPD of round 72, which made the whole lot look a bit blurry. And sometimes the function simply wouldn’t work in any respect. Auto adjustment is useful for those who’re sharing a headset with different folks, however in any other case manually selecting your most well-liked IPD is way extra helpful.

Throughout my typical standalone utilization, the Focus Imaginative and prescient lasted for round one hour and 45 minutes, near the two-hour estimate from HTC Vive. That’s lower than what I sometimes see on the Quest 3 and 3S, however a minimum of you should buy further batteries and simply swap them. The built-in battery, which permits scorching swapping, lasts for about twenty minutes, nevertheless it’s additionally not one thing you’ll sometimes be stressing.

Must you purchase the Vive Focus Imaginative and prescient?

Regardless of my points, the Focus Imaginative and prescient nonetheless sits in an fascinating place on this planet of VR – particularly since Meta gave up on the Quest Professional, which might have been an in depth competitor. It nonetheless delivers respectable standalone VR, regardless of utilizing an growing old CPU and lenses. And for those who don’t need the litter of SteamVR sensors in your workplace, it’s a sensible technique to faucet into highly effective PCs for extra immersive VR experiences (as long as you purchase the $149 DisplayPort package). However for a $999 headset, it’s a disgrace HTC Vive didn’t attempt more durable to make the Focus Imaginative and prescient stand out.