Standalone HTC Vive VR headset powered by the Snapdragon 835 is heading to China

HTC launches a standalone version of the Vive VR headset exclusively for the Chinese market.

Back at I/O 2017, Google announced that it is working with Qualcomm, HTC, and Lenovo to bring standalone VR headsets to the market. We now have a better idea of what these devices will look like, thanks to a standalone variant of the HTC Vive that's destined for China. Dubbed Vive Standalone, the VR headset is powered by Qualcomm's 10nm Snapdragon 835 platform, with HTC offering content via Viveport store.

HTC's reasoning for launching the Vive Standalone in China is simple — as Daydream content isn't available in China, the Taiwanese manufacturer is offering local customers an alternative by providing content through its Viveport. The global version of HTC's upcoming standalone VR headset will be compatible with Daydream.

HTC hasn't detailed the technical specifications of the Vive Standalone, but considering it is powered by the Snapdragon 835, there should be plenty of power on tap. The dimensions suggest we're looking at a device with a screen size of 5.0 inches or more, but we don't know if it's Full HD or QHD. What we do know is that HTC will leverage Qualcomm's VR platform for content creation.

There's no launch date or pricing information, but HTC is marketing the Vive Standalone as an "affordable, yet high-quality VR" device.