"First impression" review of OG Vive Focus
I used to use the Plus version for a week few years ago, and must say, it felt better than this one~ I wanted to get OG focus for quite some time as a First Standalone Headset Ever Released (minus Google Daydream View), and as a backup headset in case of a total internet shutdown in place where i live.
Quick story of a headset, The Original Vive Focus were announced in around 2017 and released the same year exclusively in China for Chineese market, hence, there's NO box with english or any other text on it. Box contains a US like charging brick 240v, USB C Cable, controller, manual (on Chineese), 30 day trial vive port subscription code paper and a headset.
The good; Headset has 6 positions for IPD starting at 52mm to 74mm~ (im 72). The single screen is phenomenal, if you used vive pro, it's basically the same, black is a COMPLETE black, but since it's a Single screen, i can see the edges on max IPD (on ~10% of full FOV) Does not require any accounts to function. Turn on Developer mode and pira.. sideload anything. If you need to factory reset the headset, go ahead, 5 minutes of waiting and you're back into home menu asking you to pair controller and asking if you want to add vivestore account to buy games or not. Puck controller can vibrate, comparing to GearVR, Daydream and Meta Go that came next year. USB C in 2017. SD Card slot. 6 Dof walking (max possible play area is 6x6 meters / 21ftx21ft) Finger tracking (updates 10 times per second at max, 8 most of the time, and only works in apps with finger tracking enabled by app developer)
The Bad; Mine has terribly scratched up lenses, but there's nothing a polywatch knockoff can fix.. There's no adjustment to move lenses closer or further, unless you change a mask, which is on a plastic tabs. Back adjustment always tries to slip upwards, it's impossible to configure it normally, unless you are a child. Camera feed from pass-tru is Nauseating, even for ME (just like josalt said in their video), it is indeed, uber delayed about by .5s (like, cardboard vr x5 levels delayed), brightness is completely blown out and image is zoomed in by about 20% (if you used og leap motion in vr, and used pass tru from it, it's something like that, but Slighty zoomed out). Head rotation delay and motion blur is identical to cardboardVR, and the image is zoomed out, with too much of barrel distortion, making a fish eye effect in a headset starting from 50% from center of lense. (from what ive read, it is possible to correct distortions in SDK for app, and im not sure bt the motion blur, MAYBE it's because of the software version, ill try factory reseting to the OG version, and updating slowly to major releases). Puck controller is ratchety, you might think it has capacitive trigger, but it doesn't, trigger goes really deep with bunch of pressure, stops, and requires ultra amount of pressure to click at the end. Back button can be pressed by simply utting a finger on it with no pressure, while home button and touchpad take much more pressure to click. I even reassembled the whole controller to make sure that it is not the issue. It is a Normal behavior. Puck controller is all oily and shiny, like it were thrown into a fryer. The system menus are uber slow, even opening App Library takes about 20 seconds (with 10 pre installed apps), and entire menu becomes inactive during that time, meaning it's impossible to change volume, brightness, wifi, multitask, switch into a different tab, or click on UI in general. Rubber on a top strap is made out of cheap rubber, which hardens, cracks, and disintigrates over time. Low battery sound can be heard from the other room with door closed, while headset's volume set to 1/15, and it's a default low battery sound from android 4 "Wo-Wo" (if you know what i mean). Controller Loves to drift horizontally when held in "Gangsta Grip" - sideways. Not 75hz, but 72. Comparing to meta go which it runs in 60 all the time, unless requested by the app to run in 72, Focus 1 runs in 72 by default everywhere, but fps is requested by app. Meaning there's less screen flicker, but everything feels laggy cuz 60 fps on 72 hz screen. Controller's vibration is absurdly loud for its power. scrcpy show image with too many artifacts and glitches that are not presented in a headset, making viewing experience for person outside really bad.
Now should you get this headset into your collection? - Get a Daydream view instead, or the Plus version, it at least had mostly fixed motion blur and head rotation lag, plus better finger tracking and more track points, and ogo, 2 6dof controllers. = = = I ordered a single Plus controller to check if there is any possible way to pair it (i know that plus uses ultrasonic tracking and has different protocol foc controller communication in general, but still, worth a shot, ill update a post when i get it)
