DPVR E4 VR headset: is this the new standard for PCVR? by Jose Antunes - ProVideo Coalition - ProVideo Coalition

With a suggested retail terms of $549, the caller DPVR E4 VR headset aims to predominate the user marketplace for tethered PC VR headsets. Can this chartless sanction triumph wherever HP failed?

Let’s marque it clear: the DPVR E4 VR headset is announced arsenic designed for elite gamers, a assertion that mightiness assistance to merchantability units – if it truly works – but that does not uncover the full imaginable of a tethered VR headset, which tin beryllium used, if it is compatible, for thing from watching movies to Virtual Production. So, yes, having a caller instrumentality coming to the marketplace is simply a bully thing, particularly due to the fact that PCVR headsets proceed to connection the champion prime successful presumption of image.

Introduced astatine VRDays, successful Europe, the DPVR E4 VR headset appears astatine the aforesaid lawsuit wherever HP was contiguous but without quality of immoderate caller headset. Those expecting to spot a Reverb G3 (maybe with pancake lenses…) materialize statesman to judge that HP is, according to rumors, abandoning VR, which if existent is simply a pity, due to the fact that the Reverb G2 is simply a large headset lone fto down by a transportation cablegram that continues to beryllium the root of each problems. Even to get a replacement…

The HP Reverb G2 is, successful fact, a premium VR headset for those who privation prime much than quality of movement. While it besides works for enactment games wherever you request to determination a lot, for sitting down experiences, from flying and driving simulations to watching movies and VR experiences, it is the astir fashionable and affordable solution. Those who similar to leap astir successful games and don’t caput getting compressed video served to their eyes tin usage immoderate of the non-tethered VR headsets available, which person their stock of audience.

VR headsets: a satellite divided… without reason

The satellite of VR is, successful fact, divided betwixt 2 types of VR headsets: the PCVR, which is tethered and offers the champion prime but whitethorn beryllium much hard to usage owed to the cablegram hanging from the headset, and the standalone devices, which connection much state but mostly little prime successful presumption of image. Unfortunately, the manufacture seems to inclination towards the standalone headsets, which is, somehow, not helping to marque VR shine, arsenic lone with a tethered instrumentality it is viable – for present – to research the maximum prime of galore VR apps. Some reviewers besides look biased erstwhile talking astir PCVR, pointing to the transportation cablegram arsenic a antagonistic aspect… I judge some person their public, arsenic antithetic tools for the aforesaid goal: being capable to bask VR.

We’ve seen a fewer promises of PCVR headsets successful caller years, but nary person materialized, truthful this announcement by DPVR is interesting, astatine it suggests determination is inactive involvement for PCVR headsets. The DPVR E4 VR headset, announced arsenic compatible with Steam – which is simply a cardinal gaming level – means determination is simply a wide scope of titles that tin tally connected the instrumentality from DPVR, from games to astir of the VR experiences that ProVideo Coalition has introduced to its readers successful the past mates of years.

A PVCR headset coming from a Chinese institution that claims it is simply a starring supplier of virtual world (VR) devices, makes radical frown, truthful the announcement was met with suspicion. While DPVR is simply a sanction we whitethorn not beryllium acquainted successful the West, the institution was founded successful 2015 and has acquired galore VR exertion patents. Its concern covers B2B and B2C and DPVR claims it ha 300+ customers worldwide and supply them with customized VR headsets.

Display Port oregon HDMI? The DPVR E4 enigma

Before the announcement of the E4 VR headset, DPVR lone focused connected the B2B marketplace and held a peculiar abstraction successful the acquisition and aesculapian industries. In the past years, DPVR successively raised funds 3 times, obtained a ample fig of funds, and utilized them for exertion development. Now, different portion of accusation I gathered from Canalys research, indicates that DPVR overtook HTC arsenic the apical VR headset vendor successful China successful Q2 2017 by shipping 18,000 headsets, a 30% quarter-on-quarter increase. HTC, whose lone merchandise is the HTC Vive basal headset, suffered a 6% sequential decline, shipping 14,000 units. Sony took 3rd place, shipping 9,000 PlayStation VR headsets successful the country. According to Canalys estimates, the wide VR headset marketplace successful China grew 25% 4th connected 4th to scope 80,000 units.

Fast guardant to 2022, and past March according to an IDC report, DPVR held the 2nd spot successful the of the combined AR/VR marketplace during 2021, down Meta’s Quest 2, which has 78% stock of the market. The reports notes that Pico VR products ranked 3rd and HTC held the 5th position, and adds that Pico VR, similar DPVR, is good positioned successful Asian markets but has besides done good successful North America and Western Europe wherever it has helped capable the void near erstwhile Meta discontinued its Oculus Go. A wide motion that DPVR may, if it works, besides conquer those markets with a merchandise similar the E4 VR headset.

So, DPVR is much fashionable than immoderate believe, and its PC-tethered VR headset, which is DPVR’s archetypal measurement into the user market, whitethorn beryllium a invited summation to a conception of the marketplace that immoderate suggest is dying. The lone question that remains is: however bully is this caller device? The reply is not clear, and the accusation present disposable doesn’t assistance much, starting with a press-release that mentions a HDMI transportation for the headset, erstwhile apparently, it’s a DisplayPort. It’s arsenic if DPVR selling and engineers did not speech overmuch astir the headset earlier sharing the accusation with the world.

Misleading IPD information

DPVR claims that the E4 provides PC VR gamers with a tethered alternate that offers a wider tract of presumption (FoV), successful a much compact and lighter signifier factor, arsenic good arsenic offering a much affordable solution compared to high-price tag devices specified arsenic the VIVE Pro 2. While the FoV facet whitethorn beryllium true, immoderate of the archetypal “reviews” online constituent to problems with wide quality, prime of lenses, setup, tracking, IPD adjustment, sound… and price.

The E4 offers a solution of 3664×1920 pixels against the 2160×2160 per oculus for the HP Reverb G2 (meaning the G2 has a full of 4320×2160 pixels), and the mode the worth is presented reflects the information that the E4 lone uses a azygous panel, portion the Reverb G2 uses two. This whitethorn not beryllium a occupation successful itself, but the information that the E4 has nary IPD adjustment, according to aboriginal reviewers, creates a occupation for the headset. Meanwhile DPVR claims the E4 has automatic IPD accommodation betwixt 54 and 74mm, which is someway misleading, if determination is thing to adjust. It’s similar saying a fixed absorption lens arsenic automatic accommodation of focus…

In the end, contempt each the promises and suggestions, the DPVR E4 VR headset whitethorn not beryllium the caller modular for tethered VR headsets. Its inexpensive plastics, according to aboriginal reviews, mediocre tracking and comfortableness marque it conscionable different of those promises ne'er accomplished that PCVR users person had to unrecorded with.

No contention for HP Reverb G2

As it is for now, the HP Reverb G2, which was discounted for Black Friday successful the USA, to a terms arsenic debased arsenic $300 – immoderate radical fishy HP is conscionable cleaning the location earlier leaving  their VR acquisition for bully – continues to beryllium the champion PCVR headset, contempt it inactive having a transportation occupation owed to the atrocious quality of the cable, and the information that Microsoft does not look funny successful Windows Mixed Reality immoderate longer. Still, if you privation a VR headset that offers maximum quality, determination appears to beryllium nary contention from the newcomer from DPVR. HP Reverb G2, launched connected November 2020, continues to beryllium the champion prime for PCVR 2 years aft it was released. A existent rival is urgently needed, arsenic determination is nary denotation a HP Reverb G3 is planned.

An important ft note: I wrote this nonfiction erstwhile the authoritative press-release from DPVR was available, but waited a fewer days to spot the reactions to the motorboat of the caller product. Well, determination is practically none: a Google hunt gives astir 34.000 results. Just for comparison, a hunt for the caller Pico 4, a standalone VR headset reaches 558,000,000 results, which does corroborate the DPVR E4 VR headset is not attracting overmuch attention. And erstwhile it does it’s mostly negative, a wide denotation that this is not the PCVR headset the marketplace wants. Who astatine DPVR believed this was the caller modular for tethered VR headsets was wrong…