The problem with virtual reality (VR) headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive is that they require to be tethered to a computer. This means that in terms of motion, users can end up feeling a bit restricted. Last year HTC and Intel unveiled a wireless prototype which would allow existing HTC Vive headsets to go wireless.The good news is that if this was something you were looking forward to, HTC has since announced that its wireless adapter will be up for pre-order starting on the 5th of September, and will be released on the 24th of September. However the bad news is its price in which HTC is asking for $300.
Given that the HTC Vive isn’t exactly the cheapest VR headset around, tacking an additional $300 to give it wireless capabilities might be a bitter pill for some to swallow. The upside is that according to HTC, the wireless adapter is easy to install and will take minutes, where all users need to do is install a PCI-e card, attach a sensor to their PC, and they’ll be good to go.
According to Daniel O’Brien, GM Americas, HTC Vive, “Since the first demos of Vive, we’ve known that to deliver on the best of premium VR, we wanted it to be wireless. But we learned that delivering a great wireless experience takes time and really smart partners. We’ve brought the engineering expertise together to deliver a truly first of its kind wireless VR experience. Thanks to Intel and DisplayLink for helping to make this vision a reality.”
Filed in . Read more about HTC, HTC Vive, Virtual Reality (VR) and Wearable Tech.