Earlier this year, many people were taken by surprise by the announcement that electronics company LG were working with Valve on a new virtual reality (VR) headset. There has been much speculation ad rumour since, but more details on the device has finally emerged.
The new device has been named by a Trademark application with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) as the LG UltraGear VR, as spotted by Lets Go Digital. Further, it seems the device with be a high-end tethered PC VR device, quite similar to the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
Most of the VR technology in use by the HTC Vive was created by Valve, but Valve are a software developer and publisher, so it was only natural that they partner with a company more familiar with the business of hardware, hence the creation of the HTC Vive. It seems the LG UltraGear VR will also be using that technology, utilising the Lighthouse tracking stations and controllers that bear a strong resemblance to the ones bundles with the HTC Vive.
The prototype version of the device seen at the Games Developer Conference featured two 3,64” OLED displays with a resolution of 1440×1280 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz, meaning the LG device sports a higher quality display than the one currently in the HTC Vive. Though nothing was installed in them, the prototype also featured pass-through holes that could be used for cameras for possible mixed reality applications, or perhaps even inside-out tracking.
There is yet no confirmation on a price point or release date, though some experts are predicting a release window of early 2018.
VRFocus will bring you further news on the LG UltraGear VR as it becomes available.