HTC Registers ‘Vive Focus’ Trademark in EU & US

HTC has submitted a new trademark application in both Europe and the US, specifically requesting the use of a new name: Vive Focus.

HTC and Lenovo are the first two companies announced to be working with Google to make standalone VR headsets for the Daydream platform. A standalone VR headset has all the necessary hardware on board to deliver a complete VR experience without the need to snap in a smartphone like the prior Daydream View headset and Samsung Gear VR. Standalone VR headset’s can be optimized specifically for VR rather than being limited by the design of a smartphone.

The standalone Daydream VR headsets are said to include inside-out positional tracking—a decisive upgrade over the rotational-only tracking of the smartphone-powered Daydream View headset. Using a computer vision-based sensor system, that the company is calling ‘World-sense’, the tracking tech won’t require any external beacons or sensors to enable a room-scale mobile VR experience.

While HTC still hasn’t said anything on the matter, leaving some doubt about whether the naming scheme is indeed intended for the standalone headset, Google had said the devices will launch later in 2017. With the holiday season fast approaching, we’ll have a definitive answer either way soon enough.