Update for Vive Focus adds ability to read smartphone notifications

HTC released an update for the Vive Focus on Friday, which makes it possible, among other things, to view notifications from a paired HTC phone and activate the cameras to see the outside world. The VR headset is not yet available outside of China.

The Taiwanese company released the update at the annual Vive Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen. The notification function only works with paired HTC smartphones, with the new U12+ being the first model to support it, Engadget writes.

Another new function is the so-called Surroundings Mode, in which the cameras of the headset are turned on and users can see through the headset, as it were. The function can be activated by pressing the power button twice.

To prevent the VR headset from causing problems when the user is in a vehicle, such as a bus or airplane, HTC has developed the Passenger Mode. This feature disables some sensors and lowers the freedom of movement from 6DoF to 3DoF, but ensures that users do not shift in the virtual world. The feature also extends battery life by an hour.

HTC has also added the ability to stream VR content from Steam or Viveport to the Vive Focus over a 5GHz Wi-Fi network. In addition, with the update it is possible to install applications on a micro-SD card and thus expand the storage capacity of the headset.

The System Update 2.0 is immediately available for download for the Vive Focus. However, the VR headset itself is only available within China, and will only be released in other countries later this year. Around that time, the company will also release another update, which will add additional features such as hand tracking with the cameras and mirroring the headset to a television.