The headset appears to be cosmetically identical to the one which HTC is bringing to the U.S. with Google. The differences between the headsets seem to lie largely in the differences in tracking technologies and VR platforms themselves.
While the U.S. offering will be built on Google Daydream and utilize Google’s WorldSense positional tracking technology, Vive’s China-focused standalone will utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon VR tracking tech and run on HTC’s Viveport platform.
The PC-tethered HTC Vive runs on Valve’s SteamVR platform, which has been a favorite among many for its highly accurate tracking system and integration with the online Steam store. HTC launched its Viveport store last year as a hub for non-gaming content but quickly thereafter embraced gaming titles along with a monthly subscription service.
HTC is currently running an in-headset Viveport app-launcher on a number of phone-based VR headsets in China; the announcement that it will be designing a standalone headset entirely around its own software is quite notable and shows the significance of the Taiwanese tech company’s presence in Asian markets.
