At CES 2019 DisplayLink is showing off a reference design for a wireless adapter for the Oculus Rift.
The company first showed off wireless VR all the way back at E3 2017. The prototype, in cooperation with Intel, became the official HTC Vive wireless adapter in 2018.
There already is a wireless adapter on the market for the Rift- the TPCast. But the HTC Vive adapter powered by DisplayLink seems to have less issues and an easier setup, so this could be a welcome addition to the Rift.
Of course, the main issue with all existing wireless VR adapters is price. Both the TPCast and HTC adapter sell for around $300. This is almost as much as the entire Rift package price- now $349.
The fact DisplayLink powers the HTC adapter raises the tantalizing possibility that the company could be working with Facebook to make this an official adapter. There’s no indication of this however, and Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell told multiple journalists at Oculus Connect 5 that they had “no plans” for a wireless adapter.
Facebook has however patented some interesting techniques for wireless VR, such as a positional tracking guided directional beam. Perhaps the company is waiting for these ideas to become feasible to want to put their name on a wireless solution.
Hopefully at least one manufacturer takes on DisplayLink’s reference design. Any competition in the wireless VR space is welcome.
