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Yet another virtual reality headset has been announced – Razer’s OSVR.
Razer is hoping to carve out its share of the increasingly crowded market by trying to construct an industry standard. Indeed, OSVR actually stands for Open Source Virtual Reality.
At the centre of it is a VR headset going by the name OSVR Hacker Dev kit. It incorporates an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass along with a 5.5-inch 1080p/401ppi screen that runs at 60fps, although a smartphone can instead be used when the right housing is connected.
The kit will work in conjunction with Razer’s existing Hydra motion controllers.
Third parties will be welcome to build their own apps, and are free to choose an operating system of their liking, be it Windows, Android or Linux or even use the SDK to construct their own VR glasses.
The headset has a US release date of June 2015 priced at $199.
OSVR is just one of a number of VR headsets vying for an early advantage in the sector. Google Cardboard may be nothing more than a hobbyist curiosity, but Samsung’s Gear VR is a more serious proposition. Even the likes of Archos are giving it s shot.
Then of course there are the two big challengers – Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus.
Razer has also announced a planned entry into another saturated market – the Android console sector. Its new Forge TV is due out this quarter priced at $100 or $150 with Razer’s Serval controller.
As if that weren’t enough, a further foray into wearable tech is also planned with Razer’s $50 Nabu X smartband that pairs with a smartphone to track fitness activity. The X is a cheaper version of the existing $100 Nabu, although it replaces its OLED display with an LED alternative.
