This One Simple New VR Upgrade Makes Your Front Room Even More Futuristic
One of the best virtual reality headsets out there right now is the HTC Vive. It lets you move about a virtual room as you feel like you’re deep under the sea, out in space or in the heart of a first-person shooter. Now it’s getting an upgrade.
The one issue with these top-end VR headsets is wires. They hang off the back and mean as you move about the room you have to worry about tripping, literally pulling you back to reality. Not great.
HTC has thrown $100 million into the pot for start-ups wishing to create third-party hardware upgrades for the headset. Now it’s got an upgrade coming that’ll make the headgear wireless.
The upgrade will cost about £175 and attaches a battery and transmitter to the Vive. This is apparently balanced so it stays comfortable meaning that battery only lasts half an hour. There are new parts coming, like a wearable battery expansion, which should extend that life in the future. Crucially, all these extras won’t slow the experience down as it remains lag free, allowing the wearer to get totally lost in the virtual world.
The HTC Vive wireless upgrade kit will begin shipping from early 2017 for $200 which is about £175. Check it out in action above.
