Zotac revamps its VR backpack with new CPU and features

[midian182]

In brief: While virtual reality still hasn’t taken off in the way that many expected, making systems more portable and reducing the risk of falling over wires may increase its popularity. For those interested in PC-based VR on the move, Zotac has upgraded its VR Go backpack with some new hardware and features.

Zotac was one of several companies to unveil a VR backpack in 2016. While the revamped VR Go 2.0 retains the GTX 1070 graphics card, the previous Skylake Intel Core i7-6700T has now been upgraded to a six-core Coffee Lake Intel Core i7-8700T—enough power to run an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. It also comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 240GB M.2 SATA solid state drive with room to add an extra 2.5-inch drive.

As you might expect, the VR GO 2.0 is packed with connectivity options, including six USB 3.0 ports, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, Gigabit LAN, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a DisplayPort 1.4 port. It also comes with two hot-swappable 6000mAh batteries, which the company says will allow up to 1.5 hours of playtime—though that's down from the previous version’s 2 hours.

It’s not just the hardware that’s been upgraded; the backpack is now smaller and lighter with a more even weight distribution, and it comes with extra foam padding on the back support and shoulder straps. There’s also “an extended length back support,” which keeps the unit further away from a user’s back to improved ventilation and comfort, and, like so many PC accessories these days, it features RGB lighting.

In a hands-on session, TechRadar says the VR GO 2.0 is noticeably smaller and more comfortable to wear than its bulky predecessor, but whether that’s worth the compromise to battery life is uncertain. No word yet on availability or price, but it’ll certainly cost more than the $300 Vive wireless adaptor.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/77341-zotac-revamps-vr-backpack-new-cpu-features.html

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Pretty cool... too bad it is only practical for a few people who can actually make use of it.

 

[Uncle Al]

I guess in Afgan you could take a gaming break when you're out on patrol ..... of course, chooseing between this one and 500 rounds of ammo might be kind of difficult ........

 

[ShagnWagn]

Generations of the future (even 5-10 years?) will laugh something like this was created just for "VR on the go". All while their VR/cell phones are completely contained in a watch. Haha

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Generations of the future (even 5-10 years?) will laugh something like this was created just for "VR on the go". All while their VR/cell phones are completely contained in a watch. Haha

A phone or watch isn't going to run Fallout VR though. Though there aren't many VR games right now for PC that take full advantage of GPU speeds.

Anyway this backpack computer is a super niche thing, and VR is already a niche market in itself. I suspect they are creating this because they are VR enthusiasts. And with a warehouse and a ton of sensors you could make a huge VR play area.

 

[ShagnWagn]

A phone or watch isn't going to run Fallout VR though. Though there aren't many VR games right now for PC that take full advantage of GPU speeds.

Anyway this backpack computer is a super niche thing, and VR is already a niche market in itself. I suspect they are creating this because they are VR enthusiasts. And with a warehouse and a ton of sensors you could make a huge VR play area.

I guess you don't understand how new computers get faster with time? You must be a young whipper snapper. What I said is equivalent to something as tiny as our phones now playing something many times more complicated than it took a huge pc to do(like the original Doom) a generation before this one. See 1998.