Vive Wireless Module Unboxing and Assembly
8Praise be to Gaben, I'v cut the wire again!!! I can't begin to tell you how much I missed being wireless. The cord is a chain that binds you to reality when you should be immersed in whatever world you just stepped into instead of stepping on said cord and yanking your head backwards at unhealthy angles...
WIth that being said, it's not all sunshine and roses. There are some black marks on this add on.
Lets start with battery life. It's abySmall. As in, abysmally small.
This, https://amzn.to/2QhRz29 is what I came with the TP Cast. It's a 20100 mAh capacity battery and can be purchased relatively cheaply.
HTC Vives wireless battery is reportedly half that size at 10050 mAh. I say reportedly because I had to find this info at venturebeat.com because the specs are not on www.vive.com/us/wireless-adapter/ The best you get there is the expected battery life in hours as 2.5 hours.
The extra battery from HTC is $80. The Anker I linked above is twice the size and $50. There are feature gaps between the two but to me, the most important thing is how long I can game before having to shut down and recharge. Having your headset lose power in the middle of a fight is a terrible experience. So far I've been safe when my battery has died but it's only a matter of time before I'm fighting off a mutant in The Forest when my screen goes black...
All of this whining to say. We need larger batteries. I don't care about the weight. 4.5 oz vs 12.5 oz is irrelevant when it's clipped to a belt. $80 for such a small battery is frustrating.
Moving from one expensive accessory to another...
The Pro Adapter doesn't need to be an additional purchase. There should just be two different boxes. Why should I have to pay extra and then have to mod the wireless module with a different adapter. It should come assembled. This feels like a cash grab and corner cutting.
I've paid extra but I feel like I'm getting a lower quality service. IE lack of professional installation.
The installation of the PCIE card is something that some may shy away from. Individuals who purchase prebuilt PCs and do not mod them may be intimidated. It would be nice if there was a more novice friendly option that didn't require hardware installation.
That being said, anyone who's built a PC before should have no difficulty getting the card installed. I did have a bit of a hiccup and an issue with my SSDs but this is a 3 year old machine. I don't fault the wireless module for that. Remember to take the appropriate precautions as any other time you'd crack open your case.
On the software side of things it couldn't have been easier. A quick download and install and we were up and running.
It does unfortunately cause an additional step to starting up before a session though as you have to manually fire up the Wireless app before starting SteamVR. I find this to be rather annoying and don't see why SteamVR can't detect the presence of the Wireless PCIE card and the lack of a connected Link Box and automatically fire up the Wireless app. This is a step that could be easily automated and I hope that it is in a future update.
When putting the wireless connection to the test I saw no significant loss of quality or tracking. Everything worked perfectly. There were two hiccups while playing Holopoint but in the week since recording this video I haven't experienced it again.
Ultimately, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the Pro Adapter or the battery size, there just isn't any way that I can not recommend the wireless module. Being wireless is so freaking amazing that I feel everyone needs to get this to truly experience VR.
The wireless module has been extremely performant and comfortable. Go buy it. Now. See links below.
Don't forget to Like, Sub and Share! Thank you.
Vive Wireless Adapter
§ https://amzn.to/2qjXwQs
VIVE Pro Wireless Adapter Attachment Kit
§ https://amzn.to/2Dg6ln4
Vive Pro (HMD Only)
§ https://amzn.to/2qlssA5
Vive Pro Bundle (Tracking 2.0)
§ https://amzn.to/2RoWFcL
Standard Vive HMD Bundle
§ https://amzn.to/2CPzZOY
If there's a game you'd like me to check out, feel free to contact me below.
§ MasterGamingVR@Gmail.com
§ https://discord.gg/rmc8YFX
§ https://twitter.com/mastergamingvr
§ https://www.twitch.tv/mastergamingvr
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§ https://amzn.to/2E2yGyz
HTC Vive Pro bundle
https://amzn.to/2zXuNXD
Other Videos By Shadow's Thoughts
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| 2018-12-05 | VR Furballs - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
| 2018-12-04 | Elite Dangerous VR Live Stream |
| 2018-12-02 | Unknightly - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
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| 2018-11-15 | Starbear Taxi - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
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| 2018-11-11 | The Forest VR Part 2 |
| 2018-11-10 | Orbus VR Reborn Beta 1 Livestream 11/09/2018 |
| 2018-11-10 | Orbus VR Reborn Beta 1 Character Creation |
| 2018-11-03 | Vive Wireless Module Unboxing and Assembly |
| 2018-11-02 | The Forest VR: Part 1 - Haloween Stream |
| 2018-10-10 | Borderlands 2 VR Thoughts |
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| 2018-10-06 | Salary Man Escape - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
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| 2018-09-23 | Jet Island (Spiderman VR) - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
| 2018-09-21 | Blind - VR Gameplay HTC Vive |
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