NVIDIA Patent Suggests VR Headset in the Works

Merely a week after revealing its GameWorks VR SDK, Nvidia has registered a patent potentially hinting at the existence of its own VR headset. Making use of a built-in CPU, memory chip, and graphics processor, the Nvidia VR headset that this patent registration may be pointing to could have a considerable advantage over other gaming-centric VR headsets, such as the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and Sony’s Project Morpheus, all of which require external hardware in order to function.

If reports are to be believed, the Nvidia headset will feature a single display for each eye and six cameras: two pointing forward, two pointing down, and two pointing in the left and right directions. While the front and side cameras will help project three-dimensional space surrounding the wearer, the bottom set will be dedicated to gesture-tracking, which presumably will allow wearers to use their arms for in-game interactions.

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In addition to its other aforementioned internal components, the patented VR hardware will also include a wireless network adapter, which is speculated to enable PC-to-headset streaming and support for GRID, Nvidia’s proprietary cloud-streaming service. The device will also be able to project its displays onto an external monitor, which would be undoubtedly useful in events like e-sport tournaments and expo booths, where spectators are likely to populate the surroundings.

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This news shortly follows Nvidia’s GeForce VR experience demonstration, which was accompanied by the reveal of its GTX 980 Ti graphics card, an event that took place at Computex last week. However, it should be noted that an Oculus Rift was used to show off the new VR tech rather than a presumed build of Nvidia’s own hardware — which we find to be an interesting omission indeed.

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Patent suggests Nvidia may be working on its own VR headset

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