Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Wireless HTC Vive Cosmos - A Win for AEC

The world of VR continues to evolve, which includes higher quality graphics, more portability and wireless freedome... as I generally predicted earlier this year in my Enscape blog post Technology Trends That Will Shape The AEC Industry in 2019.

In today's post I will share a few details about the new HTC Vive Cosmos and some highlights from the Wireless Adapter setup. The high-quality graphics, wireless freedom and inside-out tracking make it a great option for real-time rendered VR experiences in AEC.


Keep reading to learn more...


Here are a few details about the new HTC Vive Cosmos:

  • Inside-out tracking with six camera sensors
  • 2880 x 1700 combined pixel resolution (88% increase over original Vive)
  • Flip-up design
  • Built-in headphones
  • All-new controls (uses AA batteries)
  • Coming soon: External Tracking Mod - with Vive lighthouse sensors for increased percision

Notice all the cameras. The device is also lighter and has an internal fan to help keep the device cool, which means less sweat!


Notice the flip-up front, giving quick access to reality...


Here is one of the new controllers... which lights up to make it more visible to the cameras.



Vive Cosmos Wireless Features:

  • 60GHz visual and audio transmission
  • Intel WiGig technology

The Cosmos works with the wireless adapter for the Vive Pro,  but needs a few extra items. The most  important thing would be the higher powered battery required to run the Cosmos.


Here are all the contents of the wireless kit laid out... tip: you need a mini-phillips screwdriver.


The Intel WiGig feature requires an internal card be installed in your computer. This means, of course, you need a compatible/open slot and that this wireless feature is not currently supports in a laptop workflow.


Here is a photo of the card installed... and, check out that NVIDIA RTX 6000:)


The wireless adapter card viewed from the back of the PC...


The included cable...


Connected...


Here is what the other end of that cable looks like...


The wireless adapter component connected to the headset. Per the first image above, you can see there is an external battery with a belt clip.



The wireless sensor attached to screen with included clip... the pairing it automatic.


I have used this several times now with Enscape and it is working well. Since the device has new controllers, things are a little odd... but the controllers look correct, virtually.

All-in-all the HTC Vive Cosmos with the wireless adapter has been pretty awesome. It is really nice not having to set up lighthouse sensors and tripods.

One last note... on Halloween we used the Vive Cosmos to serve up a haunted mansion experience (see image below, pre wireless adapter). The device/game was setup all day and staff could stop in anytime to check it out... we did this in our two larger offices. That was a lot of fun... there were definitely some good scares!





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Check out my video-based  courses on ArchSmarter.

I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.