CES 2022

Pre-orders for the 180° FOV XTAL 3 go Live Starting From $9K

January 6, 2022 From vrfocus

This year’s CES in Las Vegas has seen virtual reality (VR) hardware announcements from the likes of Shiftall (a Panasonic subsidiary) and Sony (officially naming PlayStation VR2). One headset that’s gone under the radar is the XTAL 3, the latest high-end incarnation from VRgineers. Aiming squarely at enterprise and military clients, the XTAL 3 comes in two editions starting from just under $9K USD.

VRgineers’ XTAL has always focused its efforts towards wide field of view (FoV) applications, flight simulators in particular. That’s why the company boasts clients including the U.S. Air Force, NASA and BAE Systems among others. Designed in cooperation with Air Force pilots, the XTAL 3 will come in VR and mixed reality (MR) configurations – similar to Varjo’s latest devices – with both offering two 4K resolution displays (3840×2160 per eye), a 75Hz refresh rate at 4K (120Hz at QHD), eye tracking, inside-out tracking, and an Auto IPD adjustment range of 60-76 mm.

After that, the specifications do start to differ due to the XTAL 3 MR’s capabilities. For example, the XTAL 3 VR offers a 180° horizontal and 90° vertical FoV, whilst the MR edition is slightly less at 170° horizontal. With a pair of 4K cameras, the XTAL 3 MR headset does weigh in at 700g, 100g heavier than its VR sibling.

“The central cover of the headset is removable and reconfigurable, making it possible to change the headset from purely virtual to mixed reality, or replace inside-out tracking with ULTRALEAP hand tracking,” says CEO and co-founder Marek Polcak in a statement. “We can assure all our clients that the XTAL 3 will be compatible with all existing and future technologies they might need while maintaining the highest levels of comfort and convenience.”

“Our new one-dot calibration removes the biggest obstacle to the wide adoption of foveated rendering technology. The major bottleneck has always been the time-consuming calibration process necessary before every use of the foveated rendering feature,” Polcak explains. “The XTAL 3 calibration process uses unique one-dot calibration that creates a virtual mathematical model of the user’s face allowing us to calculate precise calibration formulas for eye tracking.”

So how much does all this cost? Well, the XTAL 3 VR starts from $8,900 USD excluding taxes whilst the XTAL 3 MR comes in at a rather more substantial $11,500. Making it quite the purchase if you want the ultimate Microsoft Flight Simulator experience.

VRgineers hasn’t solely been working on the new XTAL 3 either. In December, social VR platform Somnium Space released new details regarding its own standalone headset that’s being built in collaboration with VRgineers. This consumer-grade headset is expected to arrive in Q4 2022.

The XTAL 3 VR and XTAL 3 MR headsets are expected to ship to pre-order customers this April. For further updates from the VRgineers team, keep reading VRFocus.

HTC Vive Unveils new Hardware Solutions at CES 2022, Including a Wrist Tracker & Charging Case

January 5, 2022 From vrfocus

HTC Vive had quite the 2021 releasing not one or two but three virtual reality (VR) headsets, the Vive Pro 2, Vive Focus 3 and Vive Flow. As part of CES 2022 today, the company has just unveiled a bunch of accessories specifically for the standalone Vive Focus 3, a wrist tracker, charging case and multi-battery charger.

The Vive Focus 3 is HTC Vive’s all-in-one (AIO) solution for businesses, whether that’s companies looking to conduct training sessions and meetings in VR, or location-based entertainment (LBE) venues after the latest cord-free technology. And it’s the latter that could benefit the most from these latest gadgets. The Vive Wrist Tracker provides a tracking solution specifically for the headset, 85% smaller and 50% lighter (63g) than the Vive Focus 3 controllers.

Worn either on the wrist or attached to objects so they can be tracked in VR, the Vive Wrist Tracker has LEDs that are picked up by the headset tracking cameras. Whilst the Wrist Tracker can aid hand tracking, HTC Vive says it can also improve tracking from your fingertips to your elbow, even when out of sight of the cameras. It does this by: “using high-frequency IMU data and an advanced kinematic model,” predicting a users hand position.

Offering four hours of continual use out of a single charge (charged via a USB-C connection), the Vive Wrist Tracker has a one-button pairing feature to the Vive Focus 3 as well as a removable strap for cleaning. It’ll arrive early in 2022 for US customers first, priced at $129 USD, €129 EUR, £119 GBP. HTC Vive has confirmed it’ll release the CAD files so that owners can build their own docking solutions for attaching the tracker to guns, sports equipment or other objects.

Then there’s the Vive Focus 3 Charging Case, ideal for when you want to take the headset out and about whilst keeping it fully charged. With an outer splash-proof rigid shell design, the charging case features lockable zips for security and an in-built storage area for chargers and cables. As for that charging capability, the original Vive Focus 3 charger plugs into the corner of the case to juice up the headset and both controllers.

There’s an additional feature that businesses and other organisations may find useful if they have multiple devices, auto-pairing. When placing the headset and controllers inside the case, all devices will pair instantly, ensuring no awkward mismatching of components if sets get muddled together.

Finally, there’s the Multi Battery Charger. The Vive Focus 3 features the ability to hot-swap batteries for continual use but in a busy setting like a classroom, operators will need to continually charge batteries. The Vive Focus 3 Multi Battery Charger can charge up to four batteries at once, all at full speed with LED indicators showing the charge status.

Currently, HTC Vive hasn’t said when the Charging Case or Multi Battery Charger will be available or how much they’ll cost. When those details are available VRFocus will let you know.

HTC Announces Wrist Tracker for Vive Focus 3, Releasing in Early 2022 for $129

January 5, 2022 From roadtovr

HTC unveiled a new VR tracker device at CES 2022 today, this time targeting its $1,300 enterprise-focused standalone headset, Vive Focus 3. It’s slated to go on sale sometime early this year, starting at $129.

Unlike its SteamVR-compatible Vive Tracker, the new Vive Wrist Tracker is a wrist-worn device which hooks into Vive Focus 3’s inside-out tracking system. It does this essentially the same way the headset’s controllers are tracked in room-scale space, i.e. through infrared LEDs that are tracked optically through the headset’s onboard camera sensors.

HTC says in the announcement that the tracker allows users to either strap it to their wrist for what the company calls “advanced hand tracking” in addition to using controllers, or to objects like gun controllers, Ping-Pong paddles, or tools.

Below you can see a Nerf gun has been rigged up with Vive Wrist Tracker, making for a 6DOF-tracked virtual weapon:

The company says Vive Wrist Tracker is 85% smaller than Vive Focus 3’s controller, and 50% lighter at 63g. It boasts up to four hours of constant use, charged via USB-C. HTC says it includes a simple one-button pairing feature for wireless connection, and also features a removable strap for easy cleaning.

As for its more accurate hand tracking, this is what the company says in Vive Wrist Tracker’s announcement:

“When user wears the tracker on the wrist, we can predict the tracker’s motion trajectories even when the tracker is out of camera’s view in a while by using high-frequency IMU data and an advanced kinematic model. With this technology, we can predict their hand position when the hands leave the tracking camera view.”

Road to VR skipped the physical bit of CES 2022 this year, however we’re very interested to see the wrist tracker in action to see if it makes a material difference in terms of hand tracking.

Likely its biggest appeal is the ability to track objects, giving location-based entertainment venues and enterprise users the ability to avoid the typical mixing and matching of hardware ecosystems, such as OptiTrack or SteamVR base stations. To boot, HTC says its releasing CAD files so prospective owners can build custom docking solutions or harnesses around the tracker.

HTC is initially launching Vive Wrist Tracker in the US starting early 2022, priced at $129/€129/£119. Although they haven’t said as much, that pricing means it will very likely roll out Vive Wrist Tracker to the UK and EU at a later date.

In addition to Vive Wrist Tracker, HTC unveiled a few other Vive Focus 3 accessories, including a new charging travel case and a multi-battery charging dock. It’s not clear when either of those will go on sale, or for what price. We’ll be keeping an eye on the Vive accessories product page in the meantime.

Sony Announces PlayStation VR 2 Specs Including Eye-tracking, HDR, & 110° Field-of-view

January 5, 2022 From roadtovr

Today during Sony’s CES 2022 press conference the company revealed the first details on PlayStation VR 2, including eye-tracking, a “4K” HDR display, and a 110° Field-of-view.

For the first time today, Sony confirmed that its next-gen VR headset for PS5 will be called… *drumroll*… PlayStation VR 2. Although it’s not really much of a surprise, it’s the first time the company has officially revealed the headset’s name.

During the company’s CES 2022 press conference today Sony also confirmed a range of features and specs for PSVR 2. Here’s what we know so far:

PlayStation VR 2 Specs
Resolution	2,000 × 2,040 (4.1MP) per-eye, OLED, HDR
Refresh Rate	90Hz, 120Hz
Field-of-view (claimed)	110° (diagonal presumed)
Optical Adjustments	IPD
Connectors	USB-C
Tracking	Inside-out (no external beacons)
On-board cameras	4x IR (external), 2x IR (internal)
Input	Motion controllers (rechargeable battery), eye-tracking
Audio	3.5mm aux output
Microphone	Yes
Haptics	Controllers, headset

Sony said that the headset will include foveated rendering. This is a rendering technique which uses eye-tracking to render high detail only at the center of the user’s field-of-view (where the eye sees most of its detail), while reducing detail in the periphery. This allows for more detailed virtual scenes without giving up much performance.

Eye-tracking and foveated rendering tech has been available in high-end enterprise VR headsets for some time now, but so far no major consumer-class headset has adopted the technology. Unless another headset beats Sony to the punch, PSVR 2 will be the first in its category to adopt the technology.

Similarly, PSVR 2 will include HDR (high dynamic range) technology which has yet to be seen in commercial headsets, even among high-end enterprise devices. HDR allows for a much wider range of brightness which more closely mimics what your eye can see in the real world. Sony hasn’t specified exactly how bright the display can get, so it’s tough to know at this point how impressive the feature could be. Luckily the underlying display in PSVR 2 is based on OLED, which is generally a good sign for quality HDR capabilities.

Eye-tracking and HDR aren’t the only new technologies that Sony is embracing for PlayStation VR 2. The device will also be the first to include on-board haptic feedback on the headset itself. Sony says haptics on the headset will allow for greater immersion (and it could even combat motion sickness).

According to Sony, PSVR 2 will go a long way toward simplifying the VR setup compared to its predecessor. The new headset is ditching the PS camera (which was previously used to track the headset and controllers) in favor of inside-out tracking via cameras mounted on the headset itself. Four infrared cameras will look out at the real world to track the movement of the headset and also track the controllers when they are in view.

And beyond inside-out tracking, PlayStation VR 2 will connect to PS5 with a single USB-C cable. We don’t have the full details yet, but it sounds like there will be no breakout box between the headset and the console. That’s going to get a cheer from fans of the original headset who were used to dealing with a big VHS-sized breakout box which had multiple cables running in and out of it, and needed its own power supply.

Generally the specs on PSVR 2 seem very impressive except for one area… from the specs provided, it appears that the headset will not have on-board audio, instead expecting users to either use their TV speakers or attach their own headphones with a 3.5mm jack. Like the original headset, it’s possible that PSVR 2 will come with a pair of earbuds, though this isn’t an ideal solution for VR headset audio. These details are still early so we’re hoping there might be something we’re missing about audio on the headset that will be revealed once the company releases more info on the hardware.

Although Sony shared a decent set of specs and features today, the price and release date for PSVR 2 is still unannounced, and we still don’t actually know what the headset itself looks like.

Qualcomm and Microsoft Partner on Custom Chips for Next-Gen AR Glasses

January 5, 2022 From vrfocus

Qualcomm held its CES 2022 press conference earlier today and as part of the event revealed that it’s partnered with Microsoft to help push the future of augmented reality (AR). Qualcomm announced that the collaboration will see the pair develop custom AR chips for both consumer and enterprise devices.

These custom AR chips will focus on ushering in an era of AR glasses that are lightweight and power-efficient as well as integrating into Microsoft’s ecosystem. That’ll mean support for software like Microsoft Mesh – Microsoft’s shared mixed-reality (MR) platform – and the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform.

What this could mean is a more lightweight, consumer-friendly version of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2. A consumer edition was in fact confirmed last year by Microsoft’s Alex Kipman who said: “we are absolutely working on a consumer journey for HoloLens.” And then there was that Pokémon GO demo by Niantic Labs using the MR headset.

“This collaboration reflects the next step in both companies’ shared commitment to XR and the metaverse,” said Hugo Swart, vice president and general manager of XR, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. in a statement. “Qualcomm Technologies’ core XR strategy has always been delivering the most cutting-edge technology, purpose-built XR chipsets and enabling the ecosystem with our software platforms and hardware reference designs. We are thrilled to work with Microsoft to help expand and scale the adoption of AR hardware and software across the entire industry.”

“Our goal is to inspire and empower others to collectively work to develop the metaverse future – a future that is grounded in trust and innovation,” adds Rubén Caballero, corporate vice president Mixed Reality, Microsoft. “With services like Microsoft Mesh, we are committed to delivering the safest and most comprehensive set of capabilities to power metaverses that blend the physical and digital worlds, ultimately delivering a shared sense of presence across devices. We look forward to working with Qualcomm Technologies to help the entire ecosystem unlock the promise of the metaverse.”

Qualcomm is heavily invested in the XR space with chipsets like its Snapdragon XR2 platform being used in devices like Meta Quest 2. And then there’s the XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design which OEM’s can utilise to enter the AR glasses market. This, of course, all leads towards a metaverse vision that most tech companies seem to be scrambling towards. As further details arise, keep reading VRFocus.

Qualcomm & Microsoft Partner on “custom AR chips” for Next-gen, Light-weight Glasses

January 4, 2022 From roadtovr

Today during Qualcomm’s CES 2022 press conference, the company announced a partnership with fellow tech-giant Microsoft which will involve “designing custom AR chips and integrating software platforms.”

Qualcomm and Microsoft today strengthened their growing relationship in the XR space with a new partnership announcement. While Microsoft has already relied on Qualcomm to supply the Snapdragon chips found in its latest HoloLens 2 headset, now the companies indicate plans to work more closely together on components for future AR devices.

“This collaboration reflects the next step in both companies’ shared commitment to XR and the metaverse,” said Hugo Swart, vice president of XR at Qualcomm. “Qualcomm Technologies’ core XR strategy has always been delivering the most cutting-edge
technology, purpose-built XR chipsets and enabling the ecosystem with our software platforms and hardware reference designs. We are thrilled to work with Microsoft to help expand and scale the adoption of AR hardware and software across the entire industry.”

Specifically Qualcomm says it will be working with Microsoft on “developing custom AR chips to enable a new wave of power efficient, lightweight AR glasses to deliver rich and immersive experiences.” Further, the announcement reveals plans to integrate Microsoft Mesh—the company’s multi-user XR foundation—with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR development tools.

– – — – –

Qualcomm has established itself as an early leader in the growing XR space by leveraging its expertise in smartphone chip design to create the Snapdragon XR1 and XR2 chips which now power most of the leading standalone XR devices.

Ostensibly the company already has an XR3 chip in the works, so it isn’t clear if the “custom chips” that will result from the partnership will basically mean that Microsoft has more say over what XR3 ultimately look like, or it if it will get its own custom chip that’s exclusive for its own uses in devices like HoloLens 3.

The first VR Headset from CES 2022 is the Lightweight, microOLED MeganeX

January 4, 2022 From vrfocus

CES 2022 officially starts tomorrow (5th Jan) holding both an in-person and online event – CES 2021 was purely online – showcasing the very latest gadgets and gizmos due to arrive over the next 12 months. Today sees the arrival of a new virtual reality (VR) headset from Japanese tech company Shiftall Inc. The MeganeX is an ultra-lightweight 5.2K device that’s SteamVR compatible and slated to arrive this Spring.

A subsidiary of Panasonic, up to now Shiftall is best known for the HaritoraX, a motion-tracking device compatible with SteamVR. The MeganeX takes those VR ambitions up a notch, promising a device that’s not only light but also packs 1.3inch OLED Microdisplays with a 2,560×2,560 per eye resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. The displays come by way of the Kopin Corporation, which Panasonic previously partnered with for the VR Glasses shown at CES 2020 followed by an update the following year. In fact, MeganeX looks very similar albeit with those extra handles on the side.

Another feature that Kopin might be helping Shiftall with is the lenses. MeganeX features pancake lenses, optics designed to slim down headsets. Kopin revealed last year its latest all-plastic Pancake optics to further reduce weight. Shiftall says its device should weigh in at approximately 250g (8.8oz), slightly heavier than the Vive Flow which also utilises a pancake system.

With its glasses style design the MeganeX features a foldable frame with built-in speakers and because it supports SteamVR, the device has 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) head tracking. This is all powered by Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon XR1 platform – Meta Quest uses the XR2 platform for reference. It’ll also come with its own controller says Shiftall, although no further details were given regarding its capabilities.

Panasonic VR Glasses CES2021 — Panasonic VR Glasses from CES 2021

MeganeX Specifications

Display – 1.3inch Micro OLED 5.2K (2,560×2,560 per eye) 10bit HDR/120Hz
Weight – Approx. 250g (8.8oz)
Tracking system – 6DoF, camera based inside-out head tracking
Platform – SteamVR and more (future update)
Connection – Display Port Alternate Mode on USB-C or Display Port + USB2.0

YouTuber and tech analyst Brad Lynch is at CES 2022 and got an early look at the prototype, offering some positive feedback on the new headset in the video below.

But there shouldn’t be too long to wait to see the final product in action as Shiftall has said the MeganeX will be released in Spring 2022 for under $900 USD – no details just yet on whether that’s worldwide or region-specific. For continued updates on the MeganeX and CES 2022 in general, keep reading VRFocus.

bHaptics Unveils Consumer-Ready TactGlove at CES 2022

January 4, 2022 From vrfocus

A new year means that it’s time for the annual CES event in Las Vegas, drawing tech companies both big and small to showcase their latest wares. bHaptics, the maker of the TactSuit haptic vest, has unveiled its newest product set to arrive later this year, consumer-ready haptic gloves called TactGlove.

Leveraging its experience of building the TactSuit, bHaptics’ TactGlove has been designed to work with camera-based hand tracking systems, such as the one employed by Meta Quest. The glove comes equipped with 10 Linear Resonant Actuators (LRA) placed at each fingertip which can be individually controlled using the bHaptics SDK so that developers can programme precise feedback.

TactGlove will consist of an inner and outer glove, both worn like any normal glove. The inner glove is there for hygiene. Machine washable, this allows multiple people to use the TactGlove when required. bHaptics will be releasing the TactGlove in Medium, Large and Extra Large sizes.

“We are committed to connecting people through the haptic technology and TactGlove truly marks a milestone in that sense because it allows people to have a realistic interaction not only with virtual objects but also with their friends and colleagues in VR/AR settings at a very affordable price,” said Kiuk Gwak, CEO of bHaptics in a statement. “We are excited to see changes that TactGlove will bring to the virtual interaction as we move into the Metaverse era.”

Having already partnered with multiple developers to ensure support for its TactSuit (over 100 apps and counting), the company is already well underway ensuring support for its upcoming glove. For CES this week visitors will be able to play Unplugged and Hand Physics Lab using TactGlove.

To begin with, bHaptics will release TactGlove developer kits in Q2 2022 with a plan to launch a consumer version towards the end of the year. Unlike other haptic gloves which can cost thousands, the TactGlove will be firmly priced to encourage consumer sales, coming in at $299 USD.

And it’s not just the TactGlove bHaptics has on show at CES 2022. Its full TactSuit product lineup will be there including the flagship TactSuit X40. As further XR announcements are made at CES 2022, VRFocus will keep you updated.