TPCAST Wireless Adapter for HTC VIVE

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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The TPCAST wireless adapter for the HTC VIVE is up for pre-order at the Microsoft Store and is showing to be released on 9/25/17. I pre-ordered mine! As you might have guessed, this system will get rid of the wires that attach your VIVE HMD to your computer's breakout box. The battery life is noted at 6 hours too, which sounds pretty darn good to me.


Free your virtual reality - The easy-to-install TPCAST Wireless Adapter transforms your HTC VIVE into a wireless VR experience. The HMD Receiver mounts directly to your HTC VIVE, and wirelessly communicates with the included PC transmitter. A highly optimized antenna array and large bandwidth ensure a display experience that’s as good as the wired one. And with no cable getting in the way, you have even more freedom to lose yourself completely in VR.
 
assuming it is using WiGig or whatever that 50ghz spectrum is it should work fine. I've streamed a 1080p video walking around a conf room as a test no issues
 
That's pretty cool.

I would've been worried about weight on the head, but as African people carry large loads on their head, well. You'll do just fine, Kyle.

Not saying you're an African Woman, either.

I couldn't see myself investing too much into current HMD technology though. I'll need to wait 4-5 years before I put too much more money into the technology. Maybe new face covers but otherwise I'd need better PPI and also better CPU/GPU to handle 8k video streaming.
 
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It's just too expensive.

I've spent a fuck ton on my computer but i really can't see that this is so much of a problem so as to justify $300.

I'd rather just put $300 in the bank and put it towards the next generation headset that will probably include it.
 
Hakaba said:
Interested in this adapter, however, will wait for some real world reviews first before purchasing.
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Its VR.... You know HardOCP are going to milk the crap out of it with multiple reviews and articles...
 
aokman said:
Its VR.... You know HardOCP are going to milk the crap out of it with multiple reviews and articles...
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This is a good thing, buddy...plenty of reviews and discussions about thermal paste temperature profiles if that's *your* thing. Looking forward to the review....so now instead of having Battery Banks, they've decided to just call them "Battery Packs" again. Hot-Swap the batteries, it's probably worth the brain tumors........relax, that's years away! :D
 
First time I tried VR at work, within 5 minutes I was stepping on the cord of the HTC Vive. I consider this a must have upgrade if I were considering VR if for nothing else to protect the cords from damage which would be uber costly to replace.
 
I was brand new to VR till about 1.5 months ago when the Rift bundle went on sale for $399 -- blew my mind! RoboRecall and SuperHot VR... yes please

I have a room scale 11X10 play area, and I'd have no need for this wireless business but the Rift is apparently DAMN picky about what HDMI/USB extensions you use, hoping there's some Oculus love for this sort of wireless setup in the future.

Looking forward to the review!
 
Looking forward to subjective testing like crazy. Let us know if the added delay, if any, causes any noticable lag or sickness. My main concern is motion sickness and delays in tracking.
 
wonder why it would not work with a rift...HDMI and USB cable are the same connecitons.
 
whats with the wireless router in the whole thing? is not the small square box the transmitter?
 
They don't show the battery pack in the headset. It's interesting that they use an off-the-shelf Anker external battery rather than designing their own.
 
aliaskary77 said:
wonder why it would not work with a rift...HDMI and USB cable are the same connecitons.
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Agreed. How is this wireless setup proprietary to HTC Vive. Hoping someone will test this product with the Oculus Rift ... you know, for SCIENCE!
 
jcollett69 said:
Agreed. How is this wireless setup proprietary to HTC Vive. Hoping someone will test this product with the Oculus Rift ... you know, for SCIENCE!
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People who have the Chinese version say it doesn't work with the Rift. TPCast has already stated they will release a version for the Rift a "couple of months" after the release for the Vive.

I'm not entirely sure if I want to spend another $300 on gen1 VR hardware. Maybe I'll go for it if I split the cost with my girlfriend but even then IDK. I'd feel a lot better about the purchase if it was at least compatible with 2K resolution.
 
w4ffles said:
They don't show the battery pack in the headset. It's interesting that they use an off-the-shelf Anker external battery rather than designing their own.
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Probably don't want the liability. Would you want to be responsible for something strapped to your customers head when it caught fire?
 
If I didn't just spend a ton of money on a Threadripper rig I'd probably preorder one. Wires are good enough for me till the next gen VR headsets come out (maybe ;))
 
mbelue said:
Probably don't want the liability. Would you want to be responsible for something strapped to your customers head when it caught fire?
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Is the battery on your head? I thought the receiver was on your head, and the battery was clipped to your waist.
 
TheSmJ said:
Is the battery on your head? I thought the receiver was on your head, and the battery was clipped to your waist.
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Unless they changed it from the last time I checked the battery is something you clip to your waist or put in a pocket then a wire goes from there to the device that is on the top of your head.
 
As soon as reviews are up I'll get one, if it doesn't suck.

Did they ever sort out the premium headphones melting though? I want to give you money HTC!
 
Iratus said:
It's just too expensive.

I've spent a fuck ton on my computer but i really can't see that this is so much of a problem so as to justify $300.

I'd rather just put $300 in the bank and put it towards the next generation headset that will probably include it.
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If you owned a Vive and ever tripped on the cable, you would know that $300 is not a lot to spend! :) Seriously, that damn cable, and having to be AWARE of it, is an immersion breaker. Not having to worry about cables is a BIG DEAL for Room Scale experiences!
 
Should be noted that the current Vive price is only $599, so a Vive with TPCast is now only $899...or $99 more than the original price.
 
fit with deluxe audio strap ? battery placement might be a problem with d.a.s?
change in battery life if using deluxe audio strap ?
adds almost 2ms latency, when trying to stay under ms11 even 1.5ms is a lot.

I want one, but will wait
 
nysmo said:
assuming it is using WiGig or whatever that 50ghz spectrum is it should work fine. I've streamed a 1080p video walking around a conf room as a test no issues
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Were you streaming a 1080P camera feed? Streaming just a 1080P video wouldn't be the same thing. The communication protocol can add a latency to the stream and you'd never know (but that'd be huge in VR) because you're looking at recorded video, you could be watching a 5ms-to-500ms delay and not recognize it.

A quick test for wireless/broadcast latency is to stream a live feed and see how delayed an object in front of a camera is.
 
Spidey329 said:
Were you streaming a 1080P camera feed? Streaming just a 1080P video wouldn't be the same thing. The communication protocol can add a latency to the stream and you'd never know (but that'd be huge in VR) because you're looking at recorded video, you could be watching a 5ms-to-500ms delay and not recognize it.

A quick test for wireless/broadcast latency is to stream a live feed and see how delayed an object in front of a camera is.
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I loaded up a 1080p youtube video and mirrored it walking around with the laptop in hand so I could see any latency. Boss wanted to perform wireless presentations so we got some HDMI wigig adapters for the tv/laptop.
 
jnemesh said:
If you owned a Vive and ever tripped on the cable, you would know that $300 is not a lot to spend! :) Seriously, that damn cable, and having to be AWARE of it, is an immersion breaker. Not having to worry about cables is a BIG DEAL for Room Scale experiences!
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I have a Vive. I have a 4m*3m room scale laid out for it.

Never had a real problem with it, though I did put some effort into the cabling in my room. If it bothered me more then I could put the cable on a retractable dog leash or run it from the ceiling / beams but never felt the need.

Not saying it's not happened but it's pretty rare that I care. I've had more problems with overreaching on Table tennis.

It's a nice solution and I look forward to it when it comes but no way I can justify $300 on it when there are bigger problems that need new headsets. There's no guarantee of future compatibility and there are questions over what happens to HTC and the Vive in the future
 
jnemesh said:
If you owned a Vive and ever tripped on the cable, you would know that $300 is not a lot to spend! :) Seriously, that damn cable, and having to be AWARE of it, is an immersion breaker. Not having to worry about cables is a BIG DEAL for Room Scale experiences!
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I own a Vive and honestly, while this would be nice, it is not worth anywhere near $300 to get rid of the cable, IMO. I don't think I've ever tripped over the cable in a major way...the biggest issue is the cable getting wound up as you turn around. Still, not that big of a deal, though I acknowledge that wireless is definitely the future of VR.

I wonder how they got 6 hours of life out the battery...last I heard it was somewhere around 1.5 hours with the standard one.
 
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MavericK said:
I own a Vive and honestly, while this would be nice, it is not worth anywhere near $300 to get rid of the cable, IMO. I don't think I've ever tripped over the cable in a major way...the biggest issue is the cable getting wound up as you turn around. Still, not that big of a deal, though I acknowledge that wireless is definitely the future of VR.

I wonder how they got 6 hours of life out the battery...last I heard it was somewhere around 1.5 hours with the standard one.
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I would have thought the same thing till I used the MSI backpack. It is truly a freeing experience. I did not realize how much I was "playing around" the wires till I did not have to worry about them any more.
 
MavericK said:
I own a Vive and honestly, while this would be nice, it is not worth anywhere near $300 to get rid of the cable, IMO. I don't think I've ever tripped over the cable in a major way...the biggest issue is the cable getting wound up as you turn around. Still, not that big of a deal, though I acknowledge that wireless is definitely the future of VR.

I wonder how they got 6 hours of life out the battery...last I heard it was somewhere around 1.5 hours with the standard one.
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Try Space Pirate Trainer, or any other ACTIVE game...I tripped regularly on the cable...and always had to be aware of where it was. Not having to worry about the cable would be huge for me!
 
Iratus said:
I have a Vive. I have a 4m*3m room scale laid out for it.

Never had a real problem with it, though I did put some effort into the cabling in my room. If it bothered me more then I could put the cable on a retractable dog leash or run it from the ceiling / beams but never felt the need.

Not saying it's not happened but it's pretty rare that I care. I've had more problems with overreaching on Table tennis.

It's a nice solution and I look forward to it when it comes but no way I can justify $300 on it when there are bigger problems that need new headsets. There's no guarantee of future compatibility and there are questions over what happens to HTC and the Vive in the future
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Well, it's going to work with current hardware, and as there isnt any announcement on new hardware, I wouldnt be too terribly concerned with it. Everyone will have a different opinion, but I always found the cable being the #1 issue preventing me from "losing" myself in VR. I always had to keep it in the back of my mind when turning, and especially when dodging or diving to the floor!
 
jnemesh said:
Try Space Pirate Trainer, or any other ACTIVE game...I tripped regularly on the cable...and always had to be aware of where it was. Not having to worry about the cable would be huge for me!
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I do have that one, haven't had a problem personally. :) Not discounting your personal experience but most people I know that have a VR rig seem to have more issues getting tangled with the cable rather than actually tripping over it.
 
MavericK said:
I do have that one, haven't had a problem personally. :) Not discounting your personal experience but most people I know that have a VR rig seem to have more issues getting tangled with the cable rather than actually tripping over it.
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In either case, you are breaking your immersion just by having to be conscious of the cable while playing.
 
jnemesh said:
In either case, you are breaking your immersion just by having to be conscious of the cable while playing.
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I am not denying that, only that for me it is not worth 50% the cost of the system to alleviate. By all means, get this if it is worth it to you, it definitely looks cool.
 
I pre ordered one when it past posted here and just for shits and giggles, tried to see if they where still in stock. Some reason the page is gone. Searching the MS store and I can't find anything in the MS store. I did recieved an email confirming my order just can't find it anymore. I guess we'll have to wait till Sept 25th to see if it ships.
 
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