Asus and Gigabyte reportedly developing VR tech, and that may not just mean headsets

By Brad Bourque December 23, 2015

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As major headsets like the Rift and HTC Vive creep ever closer towards a consumer release, other brands’ efforts at a full-scale VR headset are starting to pop up. Now two major brands, Asus and Gigabyte, are moving towards release as well, according to Taiwan-based outlet DigiTimes.

Asus’ plans were announced back in November, when the brand mentioned that it was exploring the possibility of building an augmented reality headset intended for use the Republic of Gamers line of gaming laptops. Obviously, running a VR/AR solution off a laptop requires some serious graphical horsepower, and it’s no coincidence that Asus has a liquid-cooled laptop on the way.

This time around, its said the brand is planning to launch a “wearable virtual reality devices to be used with its gaming notebooks.” That doesn’t necessarily imply a headset, and in fact most AR solutions are aided by special controllers and wearable tech. We’ve seen a proliferation of devices like the Virtuix Omni, a multi-directional treadmill, and NullSpace VR, a full tactile suit with haptic feedback. These projects will be essential to improving VR tech, and will surely be in many users’ homes alongside the headsets.

Gigabyte, on the other hand, seems a little more focused on the main event. Rumor has it the chip maker has teamed up with 3Glasses, a VR headset in its second developer edition. The current model, the D2 Vanguard, boasts an impressive 2,560 x 1,440 display, less than 13 milliseconds of latency, and a 110 degree field of view. Rumor has it that 3Glasses was looking for investors not long ago, and may have found one in Gigabyte.

Whatever may be bubbling up under the surface, we won’t have to wait long to find out. Both the Asus and Gigabyte VR offerings are scheduled to be out in the market in the first half of 2016, and CES is right around the corner.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad Bourque is a native Portlander, devout nerd, and craft beer enthusiast. He studied creative writing at Willamette…

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