North American Pre-Orders Opened for TPCast’s Wireless Adapter for HTC Vive
by Anton Shilov on November 13, 2017 1:00 PM EST
TPCast has finally begun to take North American pre-orders for its wireless headset adapter for the HTC Vive. Already released in China, the unit offers untethered operation of the HTC Vive for five hours as well as minimal latencies. The cost for this wireless motion is $299.99, and the company plans to begin shipments of the device later this month.
TPCast’s wireless adapter for Vive uses 60 GHz and other radios to connect the VR headset to the PC and thus eliminate cables, one of the major drawbacks of today’s high-end VR gear, and enables a greater freedom of movements for gamers. Common sense for most users put wireless connections as having a higher input lag that wired interconnections which may affect user experience, although TPCast claims to have solved this. It claims that the wireless adapter has an input latency of 2 ms, which is lower than “<7ms latency” featured by HTC’s wireless accessory for Vive created with Intel.
The relatively low latency of TPCast’s wireless adapter for Vive is enabled by Lattices’ MOD6320-T/MOD6321-R WirelessHD modules that are used to transmit VR display content from PC to the headset. Speaking of Lattice, the device also uses Lattice’s SiI9396 600 MHz HDMI bridge ICs and LatticeECP3 SERDES-based FPGA, so the company is a key developer of chips for the adapter. Neither TPCast nor Lattice disclose actual transmission rate that is used for the wireless adapter for Vive, but we know that the WirelessHD is speced for 10 – 28 Gbps, well in excess of the 8.2Gbps required for the Vive's hardware HDMI 1.4 connection..
The TPCast Wireless Adapter for Vive kit consists of several pieces: the transmitter module that plugs to the Vive Linkbox (which is connected to the PC), the receiver that connects to the Vive headset, and an Anker PowerCore 20100 mAh (100.5 Wh) accumulator that provides up to five hours of battery life to the head mounted display. (interesting aside: at that capacity, it cannot be taken on-board aircraft.) The unit also comes with a charger, a router and a bunch of cables to make setup easier. It is noteworthy that TPCast requires customers to use its own router because it transmits information back from the HMD to the PC.
The TPCAST Wireless Adapter for Vive is now available for pre-order, at a price of $299.99, via Amazon, Newegg, and the company’s own website. TPCast plans to start shipments of the device on November 24 (for some reason, Newegg mentions November 20 as the release date), so expect retail availability of the unit after this date.
Related Reading:
- HTC & Intel Partner on WiGig Wireless for Vive VR Headset
- HTC Offers Vive + GeForce GTX 1070 + Fallout 4 VR Bundle for $799
- Logitech and HTC Team Up to Integrate Physical Keyboards Into VR Environments
- HTC Permanently Cuts Price of Vive to $599
- HTC Announces New Standalone Vive VR Headset with Google Daydream Support
Source for the diagram: UploadVR
Source: TPCast
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Handi101 - Wednesday, December 13, 2017 - link
All I know is that it works. I got this unit in 4 days ago and I have played it for hours. At first, when I just had its transmitter hanging loose off the wall, it was a little glitchy. I later "aimed" it at my play space and since then, no issues. I can't tell a difference between playing with the TPCast and playing wired....except the wire is out of my way. It is much more liberating not getting tangled up in the cord. I did buy an extra battery though. It only works for about 4 hours on a charge. I have kids.Xajel - Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - link
So the Vive is 599, and this "adapter" is 299. that's almost 900.. and you already need a powerful PC to to do the VR, and then you will need the actual VR content, which is still few.Damn, gaming stuff are expensive !!
Handi101 - Wednesday, December 13, 2017 - link
It is pricey. With Microsoft going out there with its "Mixed Reality" headsets (They just want to change the name from Virtual Reality -- stupid thing to do) at under $500 with controllers and no cameras or transmitters needed, its a tough call. Once they get full STEAM support, they may be the better buy. You will still need a good computer, no matter what type of VR system you get. I bought the Vive so I'm set. I love the 225 sq ft of play area.pojk3n - Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - link
> Anker PowerCore 20100 mAh (100.5 Wh) accumulator that provides up to five hours of battery life to the head mounted display. (interesting aside: at that capacity, it cannot be taken on-board aircraft.)The battery capacity is for the internal voltage of 3.7V not 5V output, so it only have a capacity of 74.4WH, thus compliant.
SGTPan - Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - link
I want to see some actual user reactions to it before I jump on board. Doesn't it seem like a good size battery pack, placed directly on the head, is going to make the thing hot AND heavy? Not in the good way.007ELmO - Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - link
You don't place the anker on your head, it goes in your pocket. The Chinese version battery was much smaller and people put it on their head, the USA version that lasts 5 hours is likely going to go in your back pocket.Handi101 - Wednesday, December 13, 2017 - link
My earlier posts....it comes with a mesh bag and waste strap to hold it to your hip. I made a 3D printed belt clip to get rid of the bag and strap.007ELmO - Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - link
My TPCast shipped from NewEgg yesterday (11/14). It did say it was slated to ship 11/20. Interesting that it's going to come so fast? It shows out of stock on NewEgg now (ETA 11/20).