HTC Vive to be Released in the US for $249, Add-on TPCast Launched at CES 2017

By Vanessa Francisco, | January 07, 2017

There are reports that the HTC Vive 2 will be revealed at the CES 2017. (Marco Verch/CC BY 2.0)

There are reports that the HTC Vive 2 will be revealed at the CES 2017. (Marco Verch/CC BY 2.0)

HTC has a new wireless Vive add-on which reportedly works as advertised. The new add-on is called the TPCast, and it promises to separate the user's gaming rig and Vive VR headset.

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TPCast was created and designed by a Vive X accelerator program startup. It is currently only available for pre-order in China, but will soon be available worldwide. It is currently being showcased at the CES 2017.

VR headsets require gamers to tether the device into the gaming rig directly with thick and bulky cables. It could go wireless, but the bandwidth requirements still make this impossible by today's mainstream standards. However, the TPCast reportedly functions without any noticeable lag. Aside from skipping frames a few times at CES, the TPCast also has only two hours of battery life and it still has a cable jutting out of the headset.

It will be out worldwide in the Q2 of 2017 for $249 USD with a battery pack that can add five hours of battery life to the device. HTC also unveiled the Vive Tracker and a trial-based subscription model for VR games and apps.

HTC Vive 2 Virtual Reality headset, is a widely-anticipated device which would be released in 2017. HTC is said to be advancing its VR technology with the Vive 2 to catch the interest of tech enthusiasts. It could directly compete with the Oculus Rift which is currently under development, but HTC has not announced the release date yet. It is still unclear whether HTC would go with the phone model or console model which receives new hardware every six years or more. The phone model sees new hardware every year.

The HTC Vive 2 could also be wireless. According to reports, Quark VR and HTC were working together to come up with a wireless prototype headset. The company could upgrade the Vive 2 headset resolution, but it still appears unlikely even if two 4K screens would catch the attention of tech enthusiasts. It would be very difficult to drive them at a reasonable frame rate.

The current Lighthouses are tricky to set up with inconvenient short power leads, so the HTC Vive 2 will have room-scale technology. The company may also revamp the VR headset design with a sleeker look. There are reports that the HTC Vive 2 will be revealed at the CES 2017.

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