Will 2015 be the year of virtual reality? Razer sure thinks so. On top of its other news, the company took to the CES 2015 show floor to announce a new platform called OSVR plus a brand new VR head mounted display.
With Oculus Rift inching closer to reality, Razer has set out to standardize the VR platform.
Along with several other companies entrenched in the space, Razer has created the Open-Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) ecosystem. Razer will support the venture with the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit, a virtual reality device that enables programming for any variety of VR technology.
The open platform will allow third parties to design and build their own apps and hardware across any operating systems, including Windows, Android and Linux.
The OSVR is free and available limitedly to developers now, with public access arriving later in 2015.
Join the VR movement
Razer is no stranger to virtual reality with it's Hydra motion sense controllers from last year, but it didn't feel quite up to par. Coupled with the new head mounted display, however, it seems like the company is ready to join the VR major leagues.
In line with the OSVR vision, the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit hardware was designed to be both affordable and open source to encourage developers to take advantage of the program. To make software development even easier, the OSVR HDK reduces optic distortion to less than 13%, minimizing the amount of additional development work required for OSVR compared to other VR-Devices. Anyone can download 3D files and create their own set of VR-Glasses.
The sensor hub is integrated with an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. There is an external USB 3.0 connection for additional accessories and two additional USB 3.0 connections for internal expansion.
The OSVR head mounted display is a 5.5-inch 1080x1920 FHD resolution with 60 fps and 401ppi. There are also flat cables and a display board interface for interchangeable panels. There's also a removable face mask where you can replace the display with a phone.
Similar to Samsung Gear VR, there's an independent adjustment (inter-Pupillary Distance and Diopter) for use without glasses - meaning you can move the optics module closer to your eyes in order to see better.
The Razer OSVR head mounted display will be US-only for now and will arrive June 2015 costing $199 (about £130,AU$246).
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