The HTC Vive is quite the VR headset, and only has one drawback. When getting immersed in games, it's often easy to forget you're tied to your computer with a big cable. Thanks to a fancy new battery pack, it looks like wireless PC VR gaming will be coming very soon.
The new wireless device, made by TPCAST, enables the HTC Vive to be played without being connected to a PC. The really impressive part is that this device makes it so latency isn't an issue, despite using wireless connection methods.
Alvin W. Graylin, the China regional president of Vive at HTC, spoke with UploadVR about the product, and also released the video above of him testing out the new device. Graylin told UploadVR that the wireless pack from TPCAST is available to pre-order right now, and the first run of the product will come with a standard battery that allows for around an hour and a half of gaming in one go. He also confirmed there will be a bigger battery coming in a later version of the product, and this battery will have to sit in the pocket of the user.
To pre-order a kit for yourself, head over to the Chinese HTC Vive site and secure yours for around $220. Kits will start to ship in Q1 of 2017. This is pretty pricey, seeing as how just the headset and wireless kit will cost over $1000, not counting the PC you'll need to run VR games. There is no word yet on the version with a bigger battery.
While excited about the possibilities the new kit brings, Graylin did not comment on if the wireless capabilities of the kit could be incorporated into a future Vive headset.
So what do you think? Are you interested in playing on your Vive without needing to be connected to your PC? Will you wait until other wireless options are a bit cheaper? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
