HTC envisages a 5G future where PCs won't be required for high-end VR

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 21 February 2020

As it stands, virtual reality can be an expensive endeavour. VR headsets can easily cost above a grand, and that's before factoring in the cost of a gaming-grade PC that can power it. It's about as far from chump change as you can get.

HTC, however, believes technology like 5G could help democratise high-end virtual reality.

"We envision a future where PCs won't be required for a PC VR experience," said HTC Vive ANZ Country Manager, Thomas Dexmier. "With the power of 5G and the high bandwidth and low latency, we will able to render VR content, straight from the cloud."

"You won't need to have a [high-end PC] in the corner of your room to deliver high graphics and super high precision in your VR experience."

"5G is where we see the next big leap forward in terms of content distribution."

Essentially, 5G connections will eventually be fast and responsive enough to facilitate VR streaming. Rather than downloading a VR game or experience to your high-end PC, you'd stream it through a Netflix-like platform, where all the required processing is done remotely. Instead of a PC, all you'd need is a headset. Standalone VR headsets exist currently, the experience is understandably lower fidelity due to a reliance on smartphone-grade internals.

Removing the hardware cost of a gaming PC could go a long way in making high-end virtual reality accessible to a wider audience, but it could have an even greater impact for businesses.

"Remote rendering, as in, getting rid of getting of your physical PC and putting all of that stuff in the cloud, is going to have a lot of commercial applications. Because if you look at the cost of acquiring that hardware, one PC for gamer is manageable. One hundred PCs for a one small medium business might be a different story, so I think commercial applications will be the first adopter of remote rendering."

5G isn't quite ready for streaming virtual reality experiences yet - their coverage isn't quite there yet, neither is the latency. In the meantime, HTC is continuing to truck along with its Vive range of VR headsets, announcing two new models: the Vive Cosmos Play and the Vive Cosmos Elite.

The Cosmos Play is pitched as an entry-level VR headset that will be cheaper than the $1,299 Cosmos launched last year. The main difference between the Cosmos Play and the standard Cosmos is camera count. The Cosmos Play has four cameras, while the Cosmos has six. Essentially, this means the Cosmos Play has a narrower vertical field of view for tracking controllers. Most of the content that works on the Cosmos will still be compatible with the Cosmos Play, but developers may need to make some tweaks for compatibility. HTC has yet to confirm local pricing or availability for the Cosmos Play.

The Cosmos Elite is a higher-end VR package that requires external trackers, known as Lighthouses. These base stations detect the movement of the headset as well as that of its controllers. While external tracking requires more space and a more complex setup, it is more precise, offering 1mm of movement accuracy. The Cosmos Elite bundle will set you back $1,699, and will be available locally by the end of March with pre-orders starting on Monday.

The Cosmos, Cosmos Play, and Cosmos Elite are all modular, with removable face plates. As such, if you pick up the Cosmos Play and decide you want extra functionality, you don't need to buy a whole new headset to get the extra cameras offered by the Cosmos Play; you'll simply be able to buy a new face plate at a much lower cost.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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