Getting VR-ready PC’s is an uphill climb for most gamers out there. Many play and work on machines that could be defined as middle-of-the-line units or mediocre machines. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s reality and as long as you have your game running smoothly, no big deal. The issue comes with the cost, space (mostly for the HTC Vive), and convenience.
HP announced that they’ll be getting into the VR market by doing all they can to mitigate those three concerns for gamers. On top of their new Omen gaming laptop line revealed this week, the company says it is in the middle of developing a VR-ready backpack PC. Both HP and MSI are developing these “VR solutions.” The ultimate goal here? To help players tether cables, wires, and set up without worrying too much about space, and tripping or stepping all over their setup. For Vive users, this is especially helpful as it uses spatial recognition with its external cameras.
HP’s unit is so far slated to come with an Intel Core i5 or i7 Processor, 32GB of RAM, and two batteries on a belt unit to house the CPU and graphics card. The graphics card options or capabilities have no been released yet, but the company promises everything in the backpack will guarantee it to be VR ready on day one. The PC manufacturer says battery life will be limited for now, as the units will be able to be used for about an hour of play. Each one will be able to be replaced, as smaller batteries until the others are charged.
MSI’s “backpack of VR” will be releasing their version as a part of their Computex lineup of machines. They’re not mixing any words, though, as they go with the oh-so-catchy name of Backpack PC. The Backpack will come with an Intel Core i7 Processor and a Nvidia GTX 980 graphics card. MSI has also remained hush on the other specs, release window, and cost.
Something you might be interested in? Would these units help get you into the VR space? Let us know!
