TPCAST, the company known for creating a wireless adapter for HTC Vive, announced that they’ll be delivering a device that supports the Oculus Rift by the end of the year.
Update (10/19/17): TPCast has provided further clarification that their wireless solution for Rift is a separate unit from those Vive-only units sold in China and Europe.
If you own a PC VR headset (aka ‘tethered’), you’ve probably already mastered the strange dance you have to do to untangle the cable during room-scale gameplay. The cable, housing within it an HDMI and data/power-transmitting USB cord, is probably one of the greatest limiting factors to making the room-scale experience truly immersive.
TPCast maintains their solution can transmit up 5 meters away at 2k (2160×1200) with a latency of less than 2ms. Battery power, provided by an external powerbank, is said to last up to 5 hours.
This is accomplished via a head-mounted transmitter that draws current from a 20,000mAh power bank. The signal is transmitted through both a dedicated WiFi router for data and a special receiver attached to your PC for video.
The company first launched its Vive-only transmitter in China six months ago and has been filling orders until it went out of stock just recently. While pre-orders for the transmitter aren’t available in the US anymore (Microsoft’s pre-order page has since disappeared), the European market is expecting pre-order delivery later this week from its various distributors.
TPCast maintains their “Wireless Adapter for Oculus Rift” is slated to arrive “by the end of Q4 2017.” It’s unclear in what capacity Rift support will arrive, whether it be in a dedicated Rift-specific unit, or a unit that supports both Rift and Vive. We’ve reached out to TPCast for comment, and will be updating soon.
“TPCAST is committed to support the Oculus Rift HMD with our unique wireless technology solutions, and provide VR users a high-quality, immersive VR encounter,” stated Michael Liu, TPCAST CEO. “With the TPCAST wireless adapter, we will be changing the VR usage and experience by providing the complete freedom of movement with no cables.”