New Vive Focus Vision is perfect for PCVR thanks to a feature the Meta Quest 3 lacks
A hybrid PCVR headset to keep your eyes on
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
September is shaping up to be one helluva month for virtual reality. We got the mid-rangePico 4 Ultraa couple of weeks ago – alongside its impressive motion trackers for bringing accurate foot tracking into compatible software – and in a week’s time,Meta Connect 2024will kick off – which is where the much-leaked budgetMeta Quest 3Swill probably get shown off. And right now we’ve been introduced to a brand-new high-end headset from HTC with the Vive Focus Vision.
Preorders are live as you’re reading this for $999 / £999 / AU$1,899, and with this XR headset, Vive is promising some impressive hardware. We’re talking dual 2448 x 2448 pixel per eye displays with support for up to 90Hz (or 120Hz when used for DisplayPort mode), an FOV up to 120 degrees, 12GB of RAM, a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset for standalone VR experiences, dual 16MP color cameras for mixed reality passthrough, and eye-tracking to top it all off.
Two features I’m particularly excited for however are 1) the easy-to-clean PU leather trim for the padding – fabric padding needs to be a thing of the past, and silicon or synthetic leather accessories certainly not a paid add-on coughMeta coughPico – and (the bigger of the two) 2) DisplayPort mode.
I mentioned it briefly above, but for people after a PCVR setup, the presence of this feature should instantly raise the profile of the HTC Vive Focus Vision for you. When it launches later this year DisplayPort allows you to connect your headset directly to your computer’s graphics card for a lossless visual experience – allowing you to put the Vive Focus Vision’s displays to great use.
It was rumored to appear on the next Pico headset, but didn’t materialize with the recent Ultra – something which left a lot of us a little disappointed.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet had the chance to try out the new Vive headset, but based on what I’ve heard I’m desperate to see if it’s the standalone-PCVR-hybrid headset that plenty of users have been waiting for. If that includes you one advantage for getting a preorder in while you can is it’ll include the VIVE Wired Streaming Kit for DisplayPort mode for free – usually it’d cost you $149 / £159 / AU$279.
You’ll also get one of three free bundles of games called the PC VR Wild Pack, PC VR Epic Pack, or MR Fun Pack. At the time of writing, it’s not clear what games these packs include though they should each contain around four titles based on the details of the promotion.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
You might also like
Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.
Latest Meta Quest 3 update includes a major visual overhaul, and improved PCVR
Samsung teases XR hardware for 2025 – we think it’ll be AR glasses, and here’s why
Red One isn’t perfect but it proves we need more action-packed Christmas movies
