Posted on October 18, 2017
Anyone jumping into the world of premium VR understands that each platform or headset option comes with its own pros and cons. The Oculus Rift has emerged as a leader in the industry but while the Rift is highly accessible and intuitive, it has some drawbacks. In particular, the room-scale and position tracking often lags behind what you get with the HTC VIVE. The VIVE's infrared base stations do a superb job tracking movement, position and establishing room-scale. You need three Oculus sensors to come close to the VIVE and the Oculus unfortunately still falls short. With the announcement of SteamVR 2.0, the VIVE is set to distance itself from the pack with increased area and more.
More Space = More FunHTC VIVE users will potentially see a massive change in the playable area or room-scale by the beginning of 2018 all thanks to SteamVR Tracking 2.0. The update allows users to add 2 more base stations to the mix and will give you almost 10 times the square footage. This is of particular interest to VR arcades and comparable services. Many feel this is a step toward engaging multiplayer options in VR. What will you do with 1075 square feet of VR? We'll assume you'll convert your living room into a Holodeck.
Working Smarter, Not HarderIn addition to an increased area, SteamVR also hinted at changing the design of their display as well opting for LED panels opposed to the current OLED system. They feel the performance form new LED displays can live up to the expectations set by OLED and will bring down the price of future headsets.
We can see the benefit of having two major players in this space as Steam works to tap into some of the Oculus Hype since the Summer of Rift. VR hardware is moving very quickly as brands look to exceed the needs of their users. SteamVR and HTC are certainly working to carve out their own slice of the market.
Try not to get lost in VR!