Oculus Rift gets powerful (and cheaper) rival – Meet Razer’s HDK 2
Razer has announced a brand new headset as part of its Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) initiative, and it’s cheaper than the Oculus Rift.
The Hacker Development Kit 2 (HDK 2) costs $399, and starts shipping in July. That’s down on both the Oculus Rift ($599) and the HTC Vive ($799). It’s an improvement over the last version, shipping with a new low-persistence OLED screen with a 2,160 x 1,200 pixel resolution – that’s about 441 pixels per inch. It’s also got a 110-degree field of view, supports a 90fps frame rate, and requires tethering to a computer.
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Other nifty features include a 100Hz IR camera that tracks the users position in a space (like the Rift, but not as advanced as Vive’s room-space), and individual eye focusing. However, the HDK 2 doesn’t have built-in audio, unlike the Rift. The headset runs on an open-source platform, and supports games designed for SteamVR. OSVR also announced a $5 million developer fund to improve the roster of content available for headset users.
OSVR says that the HDK 2 will be available for purchase from the beginning of July, but you’ll still be able to buy the older HDK 1.4 for $299.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
