VR takes another step towards the Matrix with HTC’s Vive Wireless Adapter, which is now shipping units in the US and taking preorders for UK and Europe before a wider rollout in late October – and is priced at $300 / £300 (around AU$400).
The Vive Wireless Adapter attaches to the rear side of an HTC Vive or Vive Pro headset, and enables freer movement in virtual reality play, without all those pesky cables getting in the way – whether you’re using it for YouTube, FPS shooters, or lightsaber simulators and the like.
It can link with up to two other players and navigate a ‘single-room-scale environment’ of 6 x 6m (20 x 20ft). You may be more likely to walk into the furniture – or each other – but it beats tripping over wires all the time.
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The adapter ships with a detachable battery for ‘up to’ 2.5 hour play sessions, a battery belt clip, USB cable, Vive 3-in-1 short cable, wireless Link Box, and PCIe slot card.
Eager buyers will also get a free Viveport subscription for two months after purchase – usually $8.99 / £8.99 – which you’ll need if you want to, you know, actually run apps or play VR games with the headset.
Power hungry
While the Vive Wireless Adapter should make the experience of VR play somewhat smoother, it still ships separately from all the other technical equipment you’ll need to make use of it. Not the least the HTC Vive or HTC Vive Pro, which retail at $500 / £500 and $800 / £800 respectively.
Note that use with a Vive Pro will also require an additional Adapter Attachment Kit for $60 / £60.
Users will still require a desktop computer capable of running the VR headset’s software. That means a minimum 4GB RAM, 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 7 SP1 operating system, and an available PCIe slot on your motherboard.
