Page 24 - The EDIT | Q1 2017

24
Discovery
Virtual Reality // Observations at CES
Enhanced reality goes mainstream
CES impressively underlined how widespread mixed reality is as almost all tech companies are making VR headsets (including Polaroid).
What was innovative a year ago is mainstream now...
HTC Vive launched “The Net ix of VR”
HTC was definitely a winner in
VR at CES. The company not
only unveiled its tracker, which makes it possible to turn toy guns, baseball bats and even fire hoses into trackable VR controllers.
HTC also committed to building
a standalone wireless VR headset, announced a VR subscription service and unveiled a content marketplace for VR arcade operators.
HTC’s efforts to monetize VR content could help smaller producers to see some return for their work. Right now, VR app stores favor popular apps, which tend to be video games, while burying some of the non-gaming and cinematic content.
HTC announced that the TPCast adapter, which was developed within its own Vive X incubator, will be available globally in the second quarter of this year for USD 249. Previously, you could order it only from HTC’s Chinese site. TPCast can last around an hour-and-a-half on its own, but there will also be a five-hour
“XL battery” pack coming later this year.
Additionally, the company announced that Intel, a new partner, is working on a WiGig wireless VR solution capable
of 360-degree tracking. The company is also open to other wireless solutions, assuming
they can handle the demanding throughput and offer low latency.
THE EDIT ISSUE 05 | Q1 2017