CES 2019 has just wrapped up and what a show it was.
Aside from all of the great tech on display the convention also sounded an optimistic note about the future of VR.
In fact, many feel that the headsets introduced at CES 2019 could help catapult the niche into the mainstream.
This argument relies on three headsets shown off at CES 2019.
We’re going to talk about them as well as give you some insight into why we think these could be real game changers.
Oculus Quest
Not just an upgrade of the Oculus Rift, the Oculus Quest could be the next giant leap in consumer VR.
Why, you might ask?
Because, unlike the Rift, the Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset. It doesn’t require a big, powerful rig to work and is an all-in-one solution that consumers tend to love.
Unlike the Oculus Go, the Quest will be competitively priced and aimed at a mass market. Oculus isn’t breaking new ground by simply making a standalone unit, but they are pioneering new territory by making it affordable.
Portability, ease of setup, and accessibility while using a device are often some of the key factors that determine whether or not something succeeds in the market. The Quest is portable, easy to get going, and provides robust access after that.
Rumored to be priced around $400, the Quest will also be capable of handling most VR apps currently available. Convention goers at CES 2019 said the unit performed remarkably, handling older VR games particularly well.
HTC Vive Pro Eye
Few headsets occupy the rarefied air that the HTC Vive Pro does.
But that doesn’t mean that the company isn’t looking at pulling an Apple and coming up with an even more premium device.
And, if you throw in Tobii eye tracking, it might just be enough to do the job.
The HTC Vive Pro Eye is going to be the company’s new flagship and, like the 2018 HTC Vive Pro, will have beefy capabilities and the added benefit of eye-tracking tech.
Why is eye tracking in games such a big deal? What this translates into in gameplay is that a user can control certain things in the game using eye movements. One game they had on demo at CES 2019 was MLB Home Run Derby. In order to hit the ball, users had to track its movements with their eyes so that they could swing the VR bat in the appropriate place.
The mechanic required a degree of nuance and intuition, much like the real-life exercise, and apparently really showed off the HTC Vive Pro Eye’s capabilities.
Not each is good news, however, with the HTC Vive Pro Eye. The first customers that the firm has in mind are enterprise and business users but that doesn’t mean it won’t eventually trickle down to the rest of us.
As many analysts point out, the HTC Vive Pro Eye is like a glimpse of the future of the segment – and a bright one at that.
Pico G2 4K
Explicitly marketed for business use, Pico G2 4K, as the name implies, wants to bring 4K to VR. Featuring interchangeable face pads and other business-friendly features, the Pico G2 4K is being marketed towards firms that specialize in VR experiences as well as commercial enterprises that are implementing VR solutions in their firm.
What makes the Pico G2 4K a big deal is that, if done right, bringing 4K to VR in a mass market headset could, again, benefit the rest of us in the sum.
