Category: CES 2022

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CES 2022 VR: What To Expect From The Show

CES finally returns to a physical, if somewhat muted show this week. Here’s what to expect on the VR side.

CES was once one of the key events in the VR calendar, but its impact on the industry has waned over time. Meta has its own events for Quest announcements, Sony saves gaming reveals for other showcases, HTC Vive hasn’t held a press conference in a number of years and, as VR has become less and less of a buzzword, we’ve seen fewer big players flaunt the tech on the show floor.

But the Vegas showcase does remain a fascinating display of VR oddities, underdogs and the occasional juggernaut. Here’s just a few things to expect from CES this year. We’re at the show so we’ll be offering full coverage.

CES 2022 VR: What To Expect

bHaptics’ Quest 2 Gloves

Last week the company behind one of Quest’s most popular haptic vests revealed its own haptic gloves, named TactGlove. They use the headset’s hand-tracking with motors at the tips of your fingers to provide a sense of feedback when touching objects in VR. But will they offer a compelling enough experience to justify a $299 price point? Hopefully we’ll get an answer during the show.

Panasonic’s Lightweight VR Returns

MeganeX

As announced earlier today, Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall seems to be working on the first consumer version of the company’s lightweight SteamVR headset, named MeganeX. It’s a bit of a puzzle, given the light form factor is somewhat negated by being attached to a PC via USB, but if it offers a comfortable, high-fidelity experience then it could be a strong new contender for the PC VR market. We’ll look to bring you more as the week goes on.

A First Look At Pimax Reality?

Pimax is one of the many companies to have pulled out of CES proper, with no presence on the show floor. But, as the company confirmed in an update last week, there will still be some media meetings available. Hopefully, then, we’ll be able to bring you a first look at the recently-announced Pimax Reality series, a hybrid, modular headset that promises to spare no expense.

Sony, LG And Beyond?

Everything We Know About PSVR 2 2021

Some of the highlights of every CES include the conferences from big tech companies announcing their range of products for the year to come. Usually it’s all about fridges that can tell your car what you need to buy and robots that can take your bags to the airport. But we do occasionally get a glimpse of surprising new VR announcements here and there. With that in mind, we’ll be watching a lot of shows today, January 4th, including LG’s show at 8am PT, Nvidia also at 8am PT, Intel at 10am PT, Qualcomm at 11am PT, Sony at 5pm PT and Samsung at 6:30pm PT. Again, we don’t expect anything to be revealed at these shows, but each of these companies has dabbled with the VR market to some degree in the past, so we’ll keep an eye out.

As for a potential PSVR 2 sighting? Well, Sony does like to announce some PlayStation news at these shows, like the 2013 introduction of PlayStation Now or, in 2020, the PS5 logo, but it’s not likely. We’d settle for confirmation the headset is definitely coming this year, though.

And that’s what’s happening with VR at CES 2022! What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

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bHaptics Unveils Consumer-Ready TactGlove at CES 2022

TactGlove

A new year means that it’s time for the annual CES event in Las Vegas, drawing tech companies both big and small to showcase their latest wares. bHaptics, the maker of the TactSuit haptic vest, has unveiled its newest product set to arrive later this year, consumer-ready haptic gloves called TactGlove.

TactGlove

Leveraging its experience of building the TactSuit, bHaptics’ TactGlove has been designed to work with camera-based hand tracking systems, such as the one employed by Meta Quest. The glove comes equipped with 10 Linear Resonant Actuators (LRA) placed at each fingertip which can be individually controlled using the bHaptics SDK so that developers can programme precise feedback.

TactGlove will consist of an inner and outer glove, both worn like any normal glove. The inner glove is there for hygiene. Machine washable, this allows multiple people to use the TactGlove when required. bHaptics will be releasing the TactGlove in Medium, Large and Extra Large sizes.

“We are committed to connecting people through the haptic technology and TactGlove truly marks a milestone in that sense because it allows people to have a realistic interaction not only with virtual objects but also with their friends and colleagues in VR/AR settings at a very affordable price,” said Kiuk Gwak, CEO of bHaptics in a statement. “We are excited to see changes that TactGlove will bring to the virtual interaction as we move into the Metaverse era.”

TactGlove

Having already partnered with multiple developers to ensure support for its TactSuit (over 100 apps and counting), the company is already well underway ensuring support for its upcoming glove. For CES this week visitors will be able to play Unplugged and Hand Physics Lab using TactGlove.

To begin with, bHaptics will release TactGlove developer kits in Q2 2022 with a plan to launch a consumer version towards the end of the year. Unlike other haptic gloves which can cost thousands, the TactGlove will be firmly priced to encourage consumer sales, coming in at $299 USD.

And it’s not just the TactGlove bHaptics has on show at CES 2022. Its full TactSuit product lineup will be there including the flagship TactSuit X40. As further XR announcements are made at CES 2022, VRFocus will keep you updated.