Hands-On: TPCast Wireless VR for HTC Vive
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 янв 2025
- We go hands-on with TPCast, the wireless upgrade accessory for the HTC Vive virtual reality headset. Here are our early impressions, along with insight learned about the device's wireless range, ergonomics, and expected battery life from TPCast's co-founder. This might have been our favorite thing at CES 2017!
Shot by Joey Fameli and edited by Norman Chan
Subscribe for more videos! www.youtube.com...
Follow us on Twitter: / testedcom
Get updates on Facebook: / testedcom
Tested is:
Adam Savage / donttrythis
Norman Chan / nchan
Simone Giertz / simonegiertz
Joey Fameli / joeyfameli
Adam Isaak / adamisaak
Kishore Hari / sciencequiche
Frank Ippolito / frankippolito
Sean Charlesworth / cworthdynamics
Jeremy Williams / jerware
Thanks for watching!
I love how you ask all the right questions. Good job, Tested.
Norm might be the best tech interviewer ever!
Graphluid that is a fact!
Graphluid Norm is great. unfortunately so many tech journalists don't appear to be techies at all and it drives me bonkers.
still genuinely surprised that a viable, low-latency wireless VR solution is coming to market so soon. gah, that TPCast and new strap/headphones combo looks SO tempting.
"indistinguishable from the tethered experience" - norm.
impressive. most impressive.
wonder how long before other companies copy all this into 1 system instead of expensive add-ons?
I won't be surprised if TPCast get brought into a partnership or bought out by HTC, clearly Valve and HTC are very impressed to be giving them all this PR
drivecancel that's what i'm expecting as well. and i hope others create similar/better wireless tech or combine all of this into a new product. plenty of room for competition and advancement in the VR space. Gen-1.5 is in full swing right now with the Vive.
col. hapablap I'm suddenly pretty happy I was so broke to get the gen 1. Gen 1.5 or 2 seems to be leaps and bounds better in terms user usability.
3:25 also notice how small and seemingly empty the transmitter (Edit; receiver lol) is!
it'll be easy going from this, to 2 or 3 times smaller when it's build in.
GOOD QUESTIONS!!! These are all questions I have and even some I didn't even think of.
damn 2ms wireless video stream. thats impressive for the HD 90hz content. that might make VR more interesting to more people.
SHADOWxWOLF 2560*1440
2160x1200*
But yeah, A lot more then HD (720P)
And just shows how amazing it truly is
GamesDruggie also 2 of them
Yes there are 2 monitors.
BUT, That's the overall resolution.
The resolution per monitor is
1080x1200 per monitor.
So much progress so quickly. I guess I'm jumping in at the Vive 2.0
NeonR3D HTC said Vive 2 is not coming any time soon
NA really? Well good to know. Thanks
+NA, that's great to hear, I was worried to spend $800 just for the vive2 to come out next year
Doubt it. Been plenty of videos of companies promoting alternative tracking solutions, and so far lighthouse is much more accurate and reliable. Maybe in 2 to 4 years.
this right here is the primary reason I didn't jump onto VR in the first generation. Wireless was inevitable and is going to absolutely be the standard in the future.
The surprising thing about this is that it's an addon to the existing system, no need to buy a new headset.
If everyone thought the way you did, the project would receive no funding and crashed and burned. Early adopters are the reason we get to have nice things.
aaron4820 "if" being the keyword there. And since that's not the case I'm free to wait a bit and use my limited funds to get a product that I can enjoy at the right time for me.
Ian G Of course, never suggested you aren't free to do so, just pointing out the role of early adopters.
aaron4820 fair enough, I'm a huge fan of early adopters :)
Thanks Norm. I love your passion for VR.
I get the feeling from some of the other tech/gaming journos that they think VR is a fad like 3d TVs. I can see you, like me really love VR and get the feeling we are on the tip of something very special.
Norm is asking all the important questions...he's a really good tech interviewer.
This is why I love Tested's VR videos. Asking the right questions, right off the bat.
Norm, you're the best at what you do. Your excitement was palpable, but your questions were right on point. This makes me even more excited to upgrade my Vive.
1 - 2 ms latency with a 90hz uHD signal delivered wirelessly... Faster than WiGig. Damn. VR backpacks just become obsolete before they even hit the shelves.
$500. Yeah no VR backpacks ain't dying yet.
Have you seen the price for vr backpacks?
I feel really bad for that guy and how much of a hard time he was having talking
yes yes, you are right..
Thats right...
Yes, good question
sac396 now imagine yourself talking chinese mandarin or whatever
sac396 honestly there's no reason to feel bad for him, obviously English is his second language and he did a great job under a lot of pressure to perform. I know there's no way I'd be able to speak Spanish that clearly if I had to. I applaud his confidence to be willing to represent his product and his company despite the language barrier.
he did great! dont feel bad :)
Maybe you should feel bad at how undereducated and less worldly americans are, few are fluent enough to speak in another language and there are plenty who have issues properly speaking/reading/writing in the one language they are native to. I'd say he did just fine for a second language and in a pressure situation such as that.
The epitome of a great Tested interview. I think we all shared Norm's skepticism about this product when it was announced, but Norm asked all the right questions and the knowledgeable TPCast rep gave the answers we were hoping for.
Definitely psyched for this.
Lol, rip VR backpack...
To be fair, VR backpacks were always doomed to be a short-lived stepping stone product.
They still have the niche for commercial applications in large scale VR installations, but that's about it.
VR backback isn't just about "VR" It''s just a powerful laptop without a screen.... There are plenty more applications for it other than VR.
I would love to here 'plenty more' of the applications for half a laptop in a bag George?
Anything you can do with a computer you can do with this.... It's that simple, do I need to explain to you what a computer can do? Go on the internet, play games, browse porn, make a word document, make a spreadsheet, draw a picture, watch porn, look at photos, send an email, listen to music, watch more porn... Any more?
This guy is awesome. Great job interviewing him, Norm!
So so pleased that you said it was indistinguishable from the wired version :D
Good old Norm, always asks the important questions we all want to know.
Legend.
I need to buy all these products when released! Can't wait!
one of the best TPCast review yet. Great Job Norm!
Norm! thank you for being one of the hand full of people who are capable of asking the real low level tech detail questions!
I really enjoy your interview style because you ask a lot of the same questions that a lot of us are wondering. And products that seem too good to be true should be probed a bit to see how they are performing their magic.
Video ends at 7:54 -but goes to --11:00- ??
EDIT: Error 404: Comment invalid.
OminousPineapple i guess tested rly needs that double youtube ad revenue. 😁 pretty sure this has accidentally(?) happened in a couple of their other videos.
+OminousPineapple sorry, that was a video export error. checking to see if we can trim it via RUclips.
OminousPineapple damn it Sony vegas
col. hapablap lol ikr
Alt u r correct, and i was just joking about that. it was just an accident due to software error.
norm is killing the game! tpcast and the new strap, solid vr coverage norm
Nice review - thanks for not backing off on the tough questions and for testing signal interruption!
Now I'm getting interested again. Well done to this company.
AMAZING. Thanks for this.
So the Deluxe Audio Strap + TPCast combo WORKS.
I'm gonna buy it all when it comes out, that's for sure. These are very useful upgrades to my Vive.
3 words for this new headset, hell... fucking... YES :P
I wonder who actually looks at what I say
Isn't a new headset. TPcast is just something you attach to the headset and the headset itself is just a new design but is the same one.
It is not a new headset... its a new accesory for the headset.. and that is fucking awesome
its not a new headset. Its a new accessory for it
Considering I can only use any type of VR (VIVE and Rift) for around 45-60 minutes at most without getting a headache, 2 hours is extremely reasonable and I'm so freaking pumped for this
ooo at 4:51 that shows a problem I didn't really think about with the TPCast, most users use over ear headphones with a band and having the headphones slumped over like that seems like it would be uncomfortable, besides for using earbuds and the Koss headphone mod I can't really see an easy solution for this.
It was YEARS ago at a CES that wireless HDMI was touted as coming soon. Thanks to VR people are finally getting that going for realzies :D
Great questions Norm, good interview.
Norm your VR coverage as always is excellent and thorough.
Can't wait to buy all of these accesories!
Norm is really good at getting to the important stuff in an interview.
It sounds like 2017 will be an amazing year for peripherals for the Vive. I can't wait!
I'll wait for the built in wireless version (non add on) and some more games to be released then I'm jumping fully into VR!
I doubt the vive 2.0 will be wireless, and they've said the vive 2.0 isn't coming for a while.
TheMageGaming mage is right. coming from someone who has had it since the vive was released the 2.0 will not be wireless
What you said was basically an oxymoron.
dsmithers944 I get updates regarding 2 incase I want to upgrade. not worth it tbh
I don't know why you think the Vive 2 won't be wireless when basically the technology is working right now and everyone wants VR to go wireless.
This is awesome! Would love to see HTC work with these guys to integrate directly into the headset, or even buy the tech so that Vive gen 2 has it natively (hopefully at no extra cost )
This will be an absolute must purchase of 2017 along with the deluxe audio strap. Please take my money HTC!
Great questions!
You guys got me actually hyped for the product!
Norman always knows the answer to the questions I don't know why he always asks them lol. He does it with every single interview. He ask a question, the person give a vague yet limited response and then Norman answer the Hot damn question himself lol.
I... need this. I also need a Vive, but you know, also this.
Excellent interview Norm, passion + spot on questions!
So wonderful to see the VR stuff expand so fast, the gaming looks awesome. I would however be afraid of the battery, I was one of the people having to return my Note 7. Not once, but twice. Because I was given a second Note 7 saying it was repaired, then Nope... Not fixed, gotta give it back and get a whole different phone. I don't trust when the battery gets too hot.
They didn't quite discuss the effective range from transmitter to receiver or max distance one could navigate away from the los of the transmitter before noticing delays
this is very exciting, VERY essential for VR. good job TPCast, Awesome questions Norman.
Awesome to hear that the latency is as low as stated, only question I have now - is the price of the unit plus the extra batteries going to be worth the trade in annoyance of the cable, against the annoyance of having to charge and swap the batteries constantly? Hmmm
got to say props to the interviewer, such good questions.
Can't wait for it. It's like a vive 2.0
i love being a wireless company for about many years
HTC and or Valve should buy this tech, like ASAP.
The total price of the headset, audio strap, wireless setup and video card are still cheaper than the glitchy Microsoft Hololense. I'm in.
Very cool technology. Great work from Norm here, can be hard to keep an interview going with someone who doesn't speak fluent English.
When is it coming to Europe? Can't wait to get this!
Wow that didn't take long to appear! I wonder if you can have more than one working at the same time in one room?
Happy I went with the Vive this looks cool
2 or 5 hours? That's a lot more than I was expecting.
this makes it better. I have to step over my wire frequently and it also wraps up and I have physically pulled the the cables out if the VIVE box while streaming through twitch. this makes it easier for me. the wire kills my gameplay sometimes and this is s good starting solution.
This can be a game-changer, since you can mount it on your current vive and doesn't require you to buy a new headset.
My question is: when will we see a similar solution for Oculus Rift?
dude. My childhood dreams are becoming reality. This is so amazing. The future is now.
There are many reported issues with the HTC VIVE linkbox forcing a large number of users to connect the USB and HDMI connections from the Vive headset directly into the computer while the power cable still plugs into the linkbox as the linkbox has the power connection to the outlet. Given this constraint, how will this affect the use of TPCAST?
For some, like me, it's not an option to use the Linkbox as it is never recognized by the computer's integrated USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. I've purchased another Linkbox to try a different one on the same computer, MSI MS-7845 (INTEL® Z87 EXPRESS MOTHERBOARD Z87-GD65 GAMING) with an Intel 4770K CPU.
Should be picking one of these up when it comes out!
Love your videos Norm, keep up the great work!!
Im definitely buying one. Not so sure about the deluxe straps though, thats more a convenience thing, which the originals don't bother me. But removing the cable is a necessity imo
alright, now give me a 10km x 10km field to play skyrim in. thank you.
THE FUTURE IS HERE EVERYBODY ... You might need to sell half of your body but that's nothing compared to the fun you'll have limping on that Omni pad because you got rid of one of your legs to pay for it. PRAIS VIVE for all of its glory
10 million? you must ACTUALLY be John Malkovich
Fuzzycat yay... 10x10km bounce house because you can only teleport in vr and not walk, right? 😂
+x You can absolutely walk in VR. Serious Sam VR for example, has full support for trackpad locomotion that lets you run and strafe just like in the original PC release. These controls are obviously for people who have spent quite a bit of time in VR, newcomers are probably best to stick with teleportation. There's nothing about VR that means you can only teleport.
I feel like there is walking (roomscale just walking around your room), gliding (Trackpad/Joystick movement), and teleportation (Blink - Lab, dash - Raw Data, or portal/2 step - Budget Cuts). There are so many ways to move in VR now... even walking around your room has different possibilities as shown with Unseen Diplomacy.
are threre any health concerns involved with having a receiver so close to your brain?
Love tested!!!. especially when adam built his hero sword. I built my own afterwards
when is this released also the vive deluxe strap and vive tracked
It is tempting to wait for the HTC/Intel WiGig solution but knowing now that the TPcast transmitter is capable of beam forming will make it awfully hard to avoid purchasing this in Q2. Thanks for the interview!
Would have been interesting to know when the European (I'm personally interested in the UK) market will be getting it?
Everything great apart from the battery life. Hoping they mange to bump it up a bit in later versions or with some refinements to the current model. Being tethered was one of the big reasons I still haven't gone VR. That and the huge price.
Battery technology hasn't really gotten much better in recent years. I wouldn't be counting on a breakthrough. Honestly though 5 hours seems generous. I could get home from work and play it all night, but I also usually don't play it for longer than 30 minute bursts before taking a break.
Very true re the battery tech. Maybe they will have a charging dock or something where you can switch out batteries on the fly. I reckon this could be a nice jump forward for VR. I'd hate to see it go the way it did in the 1990's but I have higher hopes for it now with the tech in a far more mature state.
i208khonsu it's 2 hours
XL Battery lasts 5 hours.
RenovatioJuris
Every VR company could go bankrupt tomorrow and it wouldn't die.You don't have to worry about this technology fading away. It's well beyond critical mass in so many more avenues than gaming. Education, design, engineering, porn, etc...
Gaming is just the poster child of the industry. VR saves time, reduces cost, and improves products developed. It's never going away.
love the technical questions
I have a vive, and noticed the tremendously short usb/HDMI/ power leads coming out of the headset going into the wireless head adapter... The tethering on the vive runs much much longer cables of course, and I'm sure that's another reason why the competition wireless VR companies are running longer latency(they used the tethered long leads with their wireless setups). That's aside from what the wireless receiver/transmitter delays on top of that.
Wondering if new shipmemts of VR headsets are going to come with those short leads, and that wireless unit as a combo. I don't see an easy way to remove the long leads out of the headset without major disassembly. I'll have to look it up, and see if there's an easy way to do that for us current owners. That or HTC will have some kind of guide on that... idk
The Vive cable can be removed without tools. The top flap where the strap is connected can be removed, and you can then unplug the cable. There's also a 2nd USB port hidden there, to plug in extra peripherals. The Vive is pretty modular.
Canilash Yes, you're right... I saw the teardown on ifixit. I thought it would be more difficult, but not really. They did a great job on simplicity of assembly/disassembly. I've taken apart much more difficult things. I hope they do include short leads with this wireless unit :)
I wonder if the Vive is already saturating the maximum bandwidth capacity of this product, or if there is still room to expand and support any upcoming, higher resolution HDMs.
I really want a good comfortable strap like the psvr one... or some new strap options. Apparently I have a tiny head which I only discovered after all my friends and family use my vive. I will be getting this TPcast wireless though.
does it works with deluxe audio strap? When i conntcted tpcast to my htc vive? the sound in my deluxe audio strap is disappeared, sound was in my column only. Nobody know why?
I have a problem using my TPCAST. Everything connects, the TPCAST system identifies everything right, however, when connecting the STEAM VR system the HTC VIVE does not appear the image, it is erased, but when I re-screen the system the STEAM VR appears as if everything was normal. Do you know why this occurs?
Wow, Norm Asked the Perfect questions
Great interview! You ask good questions and immediately to the point. Very informative, thanks.
I'd really love it of you guys could get the tpcast in-house and play with it more. I'm all kinds of skeptical... want it to work, expect it to not.
I just purchased my Vive and I love it, I must say that I was undecided between this and the Rift. I decided on the Vive due to the room scale setup. Now that im seen all these new components being released tells me I made the right choice. Is the Rift releasing something similar?
is there any health issues with the transmitter/receiver module right on top of the head?
Hobby Collectibles Wear a tin foil cap, just to be safe 😆
maybe gold foil hat since this will probably be expensive
Hobby Collectibles meh, the vive already emits laser signals around the room, so it really doesn't matter. Plus, it's science, and what's science without burning your hair, or taking a little brain damage?
Radio waves are not ionizing radiation.
i cant wait for the future. maybe laser tag will be replaced with vr tag with battlegrounds being corridors with cameras so the play area seems extremely physical.
will the will the tpcast base station plugin to the Vive box on your desktop or do you need to plug directly into PC HDMI/USB? all they need to work on now is wireless charging and this will be awesome
What happens if I have two Vive's with TPcast enabled in the same play area?
Domas Sabockis you'll be transported to an unparalleled universe of magic and life changing experiences!
Hell yeah! Can't wait!
All looks really cool, I'm going to wait a little longer before I delve into VR. Who knows what's around the corner?
great questions, looking forward to follow-up
I want this technology for just sending to my TV. For conferences it would be nice to have e.g. a lenovo yoga in tablet mode thst would send to the projector, and you could then draw directly on the device while being out on the stage and being untethered. For lectures it should be good as well.
Any idea if the camera functionality of the vive will be affected?
Great interview questions Norm!
@tested Do you know if they have any plans to also do an Occulus Rift version?
I would suppose they are working on one as well because they already got everything in place and can thereby be the go to solution for two of the biggest VR hardware vendors.
Although Occulus already has an untethered prototype (Santa Cruz), so maybe there is no need for a third party to develop such a thing.
pixelasm I highly doubt this accessory, at least from TPCast, will be coming to the Rift. Valve and HTC sponsored TPCast to make this.
@Benamax : Thanks for the info, I have missed that bit. I hope Occulus or some other 3rd party will do so then. Untethered VR and gesture recognition or at least controllers are the way to go. Which is why I sold my Occulus DK2 early this year.
Where is it! Come out already!
Damn I'm impressed, wireless is coming sooner than I thought (I was very skeptical about latency)
I'm worried about my room. I have a good 4.2m x 4.6m Chaperone area (and 4m x 4m Play area). But the bounds of that might not be ideal for bouncing the signal off the walls. There's a couch, there's a bookcase, there's the next room -- so it's not a nice solid wall on all four sides with no obstructions.
Also I'd be interested to know the range / area over which it works. Can it handle the full 19.3 square meters I have set up, for example, or is it going to want me to stay in a 2m x 2m square directly underneath the transmitter?
Wow this is a huge step forward.
Damn dude this looks crazy AF. Solves one of the Vive's biggest drawlbacks
I really want a Vive and I think it is best to wait for V2 at this point. It's insane how fast the technology is evolving for VR
is it possible to setup 2 TPCast in only one room or will we see signal issues if we try it?
great video, guys. Are you back in San Fran this wednesday to do a "this is only a test"? i'd love to hear more about your CES VR experiences
I have a fledgling leather company. I wanna get one of these and ill start making leather pouches for the batteries. I am also curious how it will be to wear that wireless bit with headphones.
Well I just bought the product,and although not setting it up till wk end have had mixed reviews off the ht vive forum,hmm,well we will see verry shortly fingers crossed that it does wat it says on the tin