One of the fears and complaints many of us have about virtual reality headsets are the large tethers of wires taking up space and making it hard to move around. It turns out the solution might be closer than we thought.
UploadVR reports that HTC has announced a tetherless upgrade kit for HTC Vive. Surprisingly, this is not the project Quark is working on, but an add-on made by TPCAST.
Speaking with UploadVR, Alvin W. Graylin, the China Regional President of Vive, claims that there will be no "noticeable difference" when using the add-on in terms of factors like latency. A very impressive feat if true, so it's rather surprising that they'll only sell it on Vive's Chinese website for the time being. Graylin says that there are no plans to release it in other territories at the moment, but it's still possible to buy it if you pay for shipping.
You can see a video of the add-on in action over at UploadVR. Looks interesting? Then it's worth noting that the included battery is said to last for 90 minutes, but that a bigger battery will be sold separately at a later date. Pre-orders will start at 3pm GMT / 4pm CET today, and each kit costs 1,499 RMB (approximately £175 / €202). There's a limited quantity, but you'll increase your chances of getting one if you can provide a valid Vive serial number. Be one of the lucky ones, and you'll get it early next year.
Does it sound interesting, or will you wait for future iterations?
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