Vrvana tosses its Totem headset into the VR ring

By Will Fulton September 16, 2014

vrvana tosses totem headset vr ring — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As the consumer virtual reality market heats up with Oculus, Samsung, and Sony, a new challenger approaches in Vrvana, which has just launched its Totem headset on Kickstarter.

The Totem separates itself from the pack by having onboard cameras and acceleration tracking to replace the need for an external tracking camera. The front-facing cameras also open up interesting possibilities like integrating augmented reality and tracking the users actual hands. It also sidesteps the tedious problem of needing to remove the snugly-adjusted headset whenever you need to deal with the analog world.

The headset features powerful onboard processing and control emulation to offload a lot of the work that is often left to another device, increasing the range of compatible systems, which includes tablets, PCs, mobile phones, and gaming consoles. Oversized, individually focused lenses allow for crisp, legible text and negate the need for wearing glasses, though the foam-cushioned headset still leaves enough room for most specs if the user prefers.

The company was formed by French Canadian engineers in 2005 as True Player Gear and have been gradually developing the technologies necessary to achieve their VR dream ever since. Boutique PC maker VoodooPC’s founder and CEO Rahul Sood makes an appearance in the video and on their advisory board for a bit of high profile endorsement.

At the time of this writing the Kickstarter has raised a little over $50,000 (CAD) of its $350,000 goal with 28 days to go, so prospects are looking good for its success. $440 is the minimum pledge for a developer headset, but $55 will net you a $100 rebate on the consumer headset once released. Head on over to the project and snag one of the remaining early bird discounts if it excites you.

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Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

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