Don't count HTC out yet — a new Vive has appeared in an FCC filing

What you need to know

• A new FCC filing from HTC points to the release of a new VR HMD soon.
• The design in the filing looks similar to a standalone HTC Vive Focus, and Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth capability also suggest a standalone headset.
• A Snapdragon XR2-powered Vive Focus recently appeared on Geekbench.

A new FCC filing (via Road to VR) from HTC suggests a new Vive VR headset could soon be on its way to the U.S. (and likely other countries, too). In the filing, which is a Federal Communications Commission requirement for any product emitting a wireless radio signal, HTC details the wireless functions of the new device as well as a general mockup image containing the location for the FCC certification label. While the mockup certainly looks like the top of an HTC Vive Focus, most FCC mockups are general sketches and don't look like the final product.

The real meat of this filing are the supported and tested wireless signals listed deep inside, which include both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Specifically, this new HTC headset supports 802.11ax, better known as Wi-Fi 6, indicates that this headset is a wireless standalone headset similar to the Oculus Quest 2 and other HTC Vive Focus headsets. That's critical for HTC to make sure it's competing with the best headsets out there and providing a next-generation wireless VR experience.

On top of that, recent leaks on Geekbench point to a new HTC Vive Focus headset being powered by the same Snapdragon XR2 chipsets that the Oculus Quest 2 uses. The Snapdragon XR2 is a significant leap in overall performance when compared to the Snapdragon 835 or 845 that have been used in previous-generation standalone VR headsets. This FCC filing also shows Bluetooth connectivity, which makes sense given that HTC has been utilizing Bluetooth for connecting to phones and other devices for consumer and enterprise use.

There's little likelihood that this filing refers to the HTC Vive Project Proton that was teased earlier this year, although with the HTC Vive Cosmos launch not going as well as HTC hoped, it's possible that they could be fully unveiling that product before too long.