Virtual Reality is very real, but so are its very messy, cumbersome setups. Right now room-scale VR, which is mostly done best with the HTC Vive, suffers from this immensely. There’s nothing worse than tripping over a cable while you’re deflecting blaster shots in Star Wars, never mind it being incredibly dangerous. HTC doesn’t have their own solution yet, but they’re endorsing a new product that has already solved that problem.
HTC have announced a new wireless add-on that can connect to their Vive headset and deliver cable-free VR, just months after the headset launched. The device is made by TPCAST, one of the companies invested in HTCs Vive X Accelerator program. Their kit is able to sync with a PC without any direct connection, and uses a small dongle on top of the headset to beam information between the two. A lot less fuss, and much fewer cables.
There are two questions though: How does it deal with latency and battery life? Right now there are answers to both, but without actually being in the hands of consumers there’s nothing too concrete. TPCAST assures buyers that there is no discernable difference in latency, while HTC backs them up on that. Battery life, however, is a little disappointing. The device is only able to hold a charge for just over an hour, but TPCAST is working on a pack you can use while in your pocket.
It’s early days for this type of technology, but it’s a much quicker turnover time than I was actually expecting. VR is still in its infancy in many regards, but seeing companies already improve on some of its most glaring issues so quickly makes reaffirms my faith in its market viability. People want to experience VR – and the fewer boundaries there are to it the better it will grow.
If you’ve managed to import a Vive, you can pre-order the add-on starting today.
Last Updated: November 11, 2016
HvR
November 11, 2016 at 15:02
HAH!!!
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
November 11, 2016 at 15:07
VR stands for virtual reality, not Very Rich
Dresden
November 11, 2016 at 15:12
Could’ve fooled me.
Marc O Polo
November 11, 2016 at 15:19
Jesus on a pogo stick… $799 for the vive, $220 to make it wireless… Hope they buy you dinner… Cus it’s nice to be wined and dined before you get fucked!!!
Deceased
November 14, 2016 at 11:16
XD
Dungeon of JJ
November 11, 2016 at 16:46
All these new changes to VR is proof that it’s okay to still wait until they’ve ironed everything out and VR gets more affordable.
CodeDisQus
November 11, 2016 at 19:21
Add the fact that there aren’t any games!
Skyblue
November 12, 2016 at 18:58
Absolutely and as Conor McGregor would say “They’ll do FOOKIN NOOTIN!”
Deceased
November 14, 2016 at 11:15
Yeah – I’ll get this – once my second set of kidneys come in 🙂