HTC prices, dates Vive Focus Plus

Vive, HTC's virtual reality arm, has announced pricing for the Vive Focus Plus standalone headset ahead of its April launch - and in doing so has confirmed that it is targeting the high-end enterprise market.

First unveiled back in February, the Vive Focus Plus builds on the company's formerly China-exclusive Focus Plus headset. Unlike its eponymous Vive, the Vive Focus and Focus Plus are designed to be entirely standalone with no tether back to a driving PC and all the hardware it needs - bar a pair of motion-tracking wand controllers - built directly into the headset itself.

The Vive Focus Plus, as the name implies, is designed to improve on its predecessor. The redesign includes, aside from the handheld controllers, enhanced comfort and redesigned Fresnel lenses which are claimed to offer sharper visuals and a reduction in the 'screen door effect' that can ruin the user's immersion in the virtual world. A bigger shift is in its support for 'multi-mode' use: In addition to acting as a standalone headset, the Vive Focus Plus can be linked to PCs, laptops, smartphones, games consoles, video streaming devices, and even 'upcoming Cloud VR services', HTC has confirmed.

'With the unveiling of these enhancements for Vive Focus Plus, the VR industry is taking a big step forward with this new generation of full-fidelity standalone VR devices enabling total freedom of interaction and freedom of connection,' claims Alvin Wang Graylin, China President at HTC. 'We're thrilled so many developers and partners are supporting this product with exciting experiences across a wide range of use cases, showcasing the incredible opportunity for VR/AR to enter all facets of our lives.'

Sadly, the Vive Focus Plus isn't going to be cheap: While competitors are participating in an apparent race to the bottom, HTC is opting for the high end and has confirmed that the Vive Focus Plus will be aimed at enterprise users and hold a $799 (around £606 excluding taxes) price tag when it launches in April. For this, buyers receive the headset, a pair of wand controllers, and 'enterprise support [and] an enterprise licence for use at no additional cost'.

HTC has confirmed that the Vive Focus Plus will launch internationally on April 15th.