HTC Vive Focus gets smartphone integration and better battery life

HTC’s standalone VR headset Vive Focus launched in China last year, and it’s getting some neat software upgrades ahead of its anticipated global release. Just announced at the 2018 Vive Ecosystem Conference, the Vive Focus System Update 2.0 enables the headset to link up with HTC smartphones, deliver longer battery life, and continue to be used in real-world settings without needing to be removed.

Perhaps the biggest feature of the 2.0 software is smartphone integration, designed to let users take calls, receive messages, and view social media notifications within the Focus VR interface without taking the headset off. Previously offered on the standard Vive, the Focus feature is coming first to the HTC U12+ and “shortly” for “all users” of HTC smartphones, with updates that will be distributed through HTC’s and Tencent’s app stores.