Location based VR company Zero Latency is (slowly) getting rid of backpacks.
Zero Latency’s existing offering uses a HP Reverb headset connected to heavy backpack PCs worn by each user. The new offering replaces this with a Vive Focus 3 – the content is now streamed wirelessly from on site PCs via Wi-Fi 6E.
Vive Focus 3 is HTC’s standalone VR headset, designed for businesses, priced at $1299. Back in November HTC announced a huge software update for Focus 3 focused on location based VR, adding support for multiple headsets sharing the same tracking space (called colocation), and dramatically increasing the maximum tracking boundary to 33×30 meters.
Wi-Fi 6E support was added in a recent Focus 3 update. It’s the new 6 GHz frequency band of Wi-Fi. This higher frequency, compared to the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, allows for higher bandwidth and less interference from other devices – though it can’t travel as far or penetrate walls as well. 6 GHz is so new to Wi-Fi it hasn’t even been approved by most national regulators yet.
A Zero Latency representative told us Funlab’s Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, located in the Docklands, Melbourne, Australia is available with the new system now, with “select sites” in the United States and Europe launching this summer.
The current Zero Latency experiences include Far Cry VR, a zombie survival adventure called Undead Arena, a space mission called Singularity, and a competitive title called Sol Raiders.
Those experiences use the VR controller attached to a custom gun accessory, but Zero Latency says it’s also exploring using Focus 3’s controller-free hand tracking for future experiences.
Article updated shortly after publication with details about the first location featuring the new system.
