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Razer, the company known for countless quality gaming mice, headsets and keyboards has had a leg in the virtual reality (VR) for over a year now, but itās been rather quiet about the whole thing.
At E3 2016, Razerās getting loud about its VR plans with a vastly upgraded and way more affordable PC gaming headset. Of course, itās called the HDK 2.
Yes, that still stands for āHacker Development Kit,ā but Iām told that Razer wants to push this version a little ā or more likely a lot in a few months ā more toward PC gamers directly as well as game developers. But just wait until you hear what itās got cooking.
Whatās under the visor?
This yearās version of Razerās Trojan horse into the VR dominion comes packing an OLED screen that beams a sharper, 2,160 x 1,200 image (thatās 441 ppi) into your eyes at a 90Hz refresh rate ā 100% parity with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.
The price has bumped up to $399 (about Ā£299, AU$539) now with the improved components, but thatās 200 bucks cheaper than the nearest competitor.
And, just in case youāre still dubious, the previous HDK was merely 1080p at 60Hz and 401 ppi for $300. So, all of that for $200 less than the Rift should help the price hike sting a little less. Plus, improved, adjustable optics means support for those with poor vision without need for glasses. (Weāll see just how that one pans out.)
Finally, Razer promises that the HDK 2 will soon support all of the games that both Oculus and HTCās headsets do. Iām told that the team is working on implementing a multi-camera setup ā HDK 2 comes with just one IR camera at 100Hz ā and that motion controllers are already supported.
A single headset that half as pricey as the most premium one and matches its components spec for spec? Why isnāt Razer just selling this thing whole hog then?
You gotta keep the āopenā in open source
I asked the Razer team that very question when they showed off the HDK 2 news to me recently, and I was told that the firm isnāt as interested in competing as it is seeing to it that thereās a single, widely available standard for new and veteran game developers.
Having support from multiple partners ā like Intel, Leap Motion and Gearbox Software ā likely helps to keep hardware costs down, while thereās little pressure with zero branding on the device. Even if Razer were to develop VR gaming accessories, they would be designed with open source in mind, Iām told.
To spur support for HDK 2, Razer and the OSVR coalition of companies have started a $5 million developer fund. The program will bolster the already huge 350-developer-strong community with techniques like buying game keys for hardware bundles and convention showcases.
And, in the end, you get a cheap, capable (if still a work-in-progress) VR headset that can play anything the big boys can. The year of VR is upon us indeed.
The Razer OSVR HDK 2 is slated to land this July, most likely through Razerās own online store. While you wait for our full review, keep reading TechRadar for the latest from E3 2016.
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