HTC launches two high resolution 5K VR headsets: Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3

At Vivecon 2021, HTC launched two high resolution VR headsets with 5K displays: the Vive Pro 2 and the Vive Focus 3, which have among the highest resolution displays available for VR headsets.  What are the differences between them, and how do they compare with Oculus Quest 2?

Highest resolution VR headsets

The Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 both have a resolution of 2448 x 2448 per eye (4896 x 2448 total resolution), one of the highest resolution available in mainstream VR headsets.  It is 260% higher than the Valve Index or Samsung Odyssey (1440 x 1600 per eye), 70% higher than that of the Oculus Quest 2 (1832 x 1920 per eye), 28.4% higher than the HP Reverb G2 (2160 x 2160 per eye), and almost as high as the Pimax 8K (3860 x 2160 per eye).

In addition to the higher resolution, both headsets feature a 120-degree field of view, substantially wider than the typical 100-degree field of view for better immersiveness.

Vive Pro 2 vs. Vive Focus 3

Vive Pro 2 is a $799 tethered PC VR headset intended primarily for consumers, while Vive Focus 3 is a $1300 wireless VR headset intended for businesses.

Here is the product video for Vive Pro 2:

Here is the product video for Vive Focus 3:

HTC Vive Pro 2 and Vive Focus 3 versus Oculus Quest 2: different approaches

Compared with the popular Oculus Quest 2, both headsets offer much higher resolution and better privacy.  HTC also appears to be targeting business users and emphasizing VR for enterprise usage, whereas Oculus’ strategy is to reach the widest audience by appealing to them with convenience, ease of use and lower cost by subsidizing the cost of the VR headsets in order to generate revenue from gathering users’ data and using them for advertisements.

Here is the keynote presentation from ViveCon 2021: