Not content material with saying a 32-thread Skylake-X CPU, or a hefty efficiency enhance for his or her 8th gen Coffee Lake chips, Intel additionally introduced right this moment they’ve teamed up with HTC to combine their WiGig wi-fi tech into HTC’s Vive headsets to free them from wires.
You can’t run VR with out the graphics tech to match, so try our guide to the best graphics cards in the marketplace right this moment.
We’ve taken issue with the cabling on VR headsets earlier than – in spite of everything, nothing breaks immersion fairly like being drowned in wires – and it will appear that HTC be in agreement. By manufacturing wi-fi adapters utilizing WiGig know-how and promoting them as an non-compulsory further they’ll handle to tick a giant gripe off the VR enchancment checklist.
The Vive’s present system makes use of a Three-in-1 cable that runs up the person’s again, after which over the again of the pinnacle into the highest of the headset, with a second cable for audio. It’s not the prettiest resolution, and being slapped within the again by wires when you’re making an attempt to homicide zombies generally is a little distracting to say the least.
Demonstrating the wi-fi various on stage, Intel’s Craig Raymond appeared to suppose that a cable-free choice was the following logical step. “Not having to be mindful of where that cord is… this is the level of immersion that we’re looking for [in] the next generation of VR,” he defined.
And it most undoubtedly is correct on the high of VR’s wish-list, however that’s one chunky add-on WiGig module in its present guise. Hopefully the set Raymond was sporting on stage is simply an early prototype as a result of, if that factor weighs as a lot because it seems prefer it may, they’re in any other case simply going to be swapping one downside for one more.
Intel’s WiGig tech works utilizing radio waves within the 60GHz frequency band, promising interference-free, low latency gaming. This additionally reportedly makes for ‘pristine video quality’, though VR headsets still have a way to go earlier than their screens are pumping out the pixels to actually impress. The decision of the Vive, for instance, is capped at 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye).
Those fortunate sufficient to be at E3 this year will be capable to try the proof-of-concept at Intel’s sales space earlier than the ultimate model hits the market in early 2018. We’ll be there to get our sticky paws on the newest gaming tech, so we’ll deliver you extra particulars on this as we’ve got them.
One massive query stays: how a lot will it value? We’re hoping for ‘less than a house’, however seeing because it’s VR…
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