HTC announces $220 wireless VR upgrade kit for the Vive

[Jos]

A full fledged PC on a backpack is one way to go for untethered VR, but not a very practical one. Well, those efforts by MSI and others may have just been rendered obsolete by HTC with a new clip on device called TPCast — developed under the Vive X accelerator program — that essentially upgrades the Vive into a wireless headset.

A preview version of the kit was shown off today at Alibaba’s “11/11” global shopping festival in Shenzhen, China. The upgrade kit will be available to pre-order on Vive’s Chinese website “in limited quantity” for 1,499 RMB (about $220), with shipments planned for Q1 2017.

Order fulfillment will be prioritized to existing customers who can provide a valid Vive serial number. There’s no word on international availability yet, though depending on how well TPCast’s technology works, we can imagine a wider rollout would follow.

Speaking to UploadVR, China Regional President of Vive at HTC, Alvin W. Graylin said that there is “no noticeable difference” in latency when using the TPCast peripheral. Regarding battery life, Graylin says the regular battery can deliver about an hour and a half of power, with a bigger battery designed to be carried in users’ pockets coming later.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67016-htc-announces-220-wireless-vr-upgrade-kit-vive.html

 

[3volv3d]

I recently played a few games on the ps4 vr. It wasn't bad. I enjoyed it. It wasn't heavy it uncomfortable. the rollercoaster drops you felt.

But what I didn't like, was removing the headset to look back at all the wires that now adorned the room.

A wireless headset is needed. Would like to find out more on this. Maybe the next generation consoles will have this eventually too.

But then maybe the ps5 will be modular and follow msi's back pack idea. Controllers in your hands, cyber gloves, cables that run up your arms, the mother board on your belly, the GPU on you back, the ssd storage in the skull of the headset, and the on n off buttons controlled by a squeeze of your buttocks.

The future is coming isn't it. I see it now.

 

[Puiu]

Does this even work? Pushing so much information over wireless usually comes with some lag and this was the reason why the VR headsets launched with a cable.

 

[ForgottenLegion]

Does this even work? Pushing so much information over wireless usually comes with some lag and this was the reason why the VR headsets launched with a cable.

You're transmitting data wirelessly over a very short distance. Latency should be fine.

 

[rvnwlfdroid]

This is what I've been waiting for. With a little luck they might build it (or something like it) into the next-gen Vive. At that point I think it will be time to jump on that band wagon.

 

[Puiu]

Does this even work? Pushing so much information over wireless usually comes with some lag and this was the reason why the VR headsets launched with a cable.

You're transmitting data wirelessly over a very short distance. Latency should be fine.

the distance isn't the problem. it's the bandwidth required and even even a few ms can make it very nauseating since it desyncs the image from your movement.

hopefully they have some cool magic tricks up their sleeves and managed to keep latency at a very low value without affecting image quality.

 

[Evernessince]

I recently played a few games on the ps4 vr. It wasn't bad. I enjoyed it. It wasn't heavy it uncomfortable. the rollercoaster drops you felt.

But what I didn't like, was removing the headset to look back at all the wires that now adorned the room.

A wireless headset is needed. Would like to find out more on this. Maybe the next generation consoles will have this eventually too.

But then maybe the ps5 will be modular and follow msi's back pack idea. Controllers in your hands, cyber gloves, cables that run up your arms, the mother board on your belly, the GPU on you back, the ssd storage in the skull of the headset, and the on n off buttons controlled by a squeeze of your buttocks.

The future is coming isn't it. I see it now.

Might as well buy a PC if you have to buy a whole new console and VR gear every few years. Making consoles modular would be the worst move Sony and Microsoft could do.

 

[3volv3d]

Might as well buy a PC if you have to buy a whole new console and VR gear every few years. Making consoles modular would be the worst move Sony and Microsoft could do.

Did you not sense the sarcasm in my modular ideas? Using ones buttocks to power up or down the system...
I was simply mocking the backpack.
Why would consoles being modular and upgradeable be a bad thing in your opinion?

 

[Evernessince]

Did you not sense the sarcasm in my modular ideas? Using ones buttocks to power up or down the system...
I was simply mocking the backpack.
Why would consoles being modular and upgradeable be a bad thing in your opinion?

I wasn't sure if that was just sarcasm or just poor english. Your previous sentences aren't properly structured and your use of commas is incorrect so I chalked it up to that.