HTC’s Wireless Vive adapter is launching soon but will be costly

As great as current high-end VR headsets are, for many, cutting the cord is the next big step. Wireless VR is often reserved for mobile and low-power solutions like the Gear VR or Oculus Go. However, HTC is bringing the wireless experience to the VIVE and VIVE Pro this year.

HTC has announced that pre-orders for the Vive Wireless Adapter will be going live very soon. This will allow owners to tether their headset wirelessly to a PC and avoid having to use lengthy cables. Unfortunately, there are downsides, as upgrading to wireless is an expensive endeavour.

HTC's Vive Wireless Adapter will be available to pre-order from the 5th of September for $299, which isn't far off the cost of a Vive headset or Oculus Rift. If you happen to own a Vive Pro, then things get more expensive as an additional $60 ‘compatibility pack' will need to be purchased. This includes a connection cable for the Pro headset, foam padding and an attachment device to hook the adapter up to the headset.

HTC managed to develop this adapter with some help from Intel and DisplayLink. Installation should be simple enough, users will need to put a PCIe card into their rig and attach a wireless sensor. The receiver on the headset will then pick up the signal. The adapter itself has a broadcast range of 6 meters and a 150 degree field of view from the sensor.

The whole thing runs through a 60GHz band using Intel's WiGig technology combined with the DisplayLink XR codec for low latency and high performance. The wireless adapter is powered by the HTC QC 3.0 PowerBank, although the exact amount of battery life this will provide remains to be seen.

KitGuru Says: Wireless VR seems like the future but it is certainly an expensive investment right now for PC users. Are any of you considering getting the wireless upgrade for a Vive headset?

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