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[dex3108]

One of the startups in HTC’s Vive X accelerator is releasing an upgrade kit that will add eye tracking to the Vive virtual reality headset. The Beijing-based company 7invensun will open preorders for its aGlass lenses next month, selling them in China for the equivalent of around $220; according to UploadVR, they’ll be sold internationally around the third quarter of 2017.

The aGlass consists of two eyepieces that the “average VR user” can fit inside the HTC Vive’s face mask, including three pairs of interchangeable lenses. The eyepieces are connected to the Vive via USB, which will allow the headset to track pupil movement via sensors and infrared lights. It’s an example of HTC’s plan to expand the Vive ecosystem with third-party accessories, including custom controllers and other upgrade kits.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/1/15503932/htc-vive-x-7invensun-aglass-eye-tracking-upgrade

And this is why open source VR is good. Also tnx lashman for the link.

 

[BigEmil]

How is the latency from eye tracking to head tracking?

 

[Majukun]

because historically addons to hardware do wonders

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

because historically addons to hardware do wonders

just more stuff they can implement into a iteration upgrade to the main headset over time along with the wireless adapter

 

[dex3108]

because historically addons to hardware do wonders

HTC Vive already has some great addons like TPCast, Noitom’s Hi5 VR Glove...

 

[Takamura-San]

What about for people with glasses....

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

What about for people with glasses....

 

[killroy87]

Let's get the current tech a bit farther along before we add another variable.

 

[Azure Dream]

Let's get the current tech a bit farther along before we add another variable.

This is just to accommodate early adopters. Similar hardware will likely be built into the next major revision. The benefits of eye tracking are big, especially the drop in hardware power required due to foveated rendering.

 

[Tain]

Do you guys seriously think those making these addons expect them to sell like utter wildfire? To propel the sales of VR entirely?

Like after building up an organization that does a shitload of R&D to track fucking eye movement and beam 90fps HD video at insanely low latencies and make and sell products out of this research, you think that nowhere in this process is a ballpark of what the size of their audience is?

Come on. Surely we don't need to go chicken little in every last VR news thread.

That said, while I'm very hopeful about the wireless add-on, I'm much less optimistic about this for reasons brought up in the Vive thread. 90hz does not sound fast enough for ideal performance-saving seamless foveated rendering. I'm still EXTREMELY CURIOUS though.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

I'm just glad we're seeing stuff like this possible so soon. Looks good for future generations.

 

[Plum]

"You haven't maintained eye contact with your waifu for ten minutes now, is something the matter?"

 

[lilojigsaw]

What about for people with glasses....

Contacts I guess maybe

 

[dhonk]

This is just to accommodate early adopters. Similar hardware will likely be built into the next major revision. The benefits of eye tracking are big, especially the drop in hardware power required due to foveated rendering.

this is the part people need to realise before the amount of snarky comments come rolling in.

 

[Sad Affleck]

So what can you do with it? Does it enable foveated rendering?

 

[MUnited83]

because historically addons to hardware do wonders

Pretty sure this will do as well as the company expects. This is a third party making a addon, I'm pretty sure they know the reach they can possibly have.

Let's get the current tech a bit farther along before we add another variable.

This addon literally is making the current tech a bit farther along, and it's also not affecting the rest of VR development in the slightest.

 

[OBias]

because historically addons to hardware do wonders

Addons are doing fine on PC.

 

[chrominance]

I'm way more interested in this as an extra input interface than as a way to improve performance via foveated rendering. Having things in the game world respond to you looking at them (especially human NPCs!) seems like a more fundamental change than just "oh it's faster now."

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

I'm way more interested in this as an extra input interface than as a way to improve performance via foveated rendering. Having things in the game world respond to you looking at them (especially human NPCs!) seems like a more fundamental change than just "oh it's faster now."

same love the gameplay stuff you can do with this stuff like scp containment breach already has a blink mechanic in the game would be cool to play it in vr and actually have to manage my blinking

 

[Kyne]

i am hoping that people will buy this..

.. so that in a couple of years a GOTY version with the portable battery pack+eye tech will come out in a bundle, and I can jump in then.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

So what can you do with it? Does it enable foveated rendering?

Yes. Or more specifically, you need eye tracking in order to do foveated rendering.

Not to mention eye tracking alone can add a lot of life to social VR interactions:

 

[KingSnake]

I like how adaptable Vive proved to be in the end with all these add-ons.

 

[cakefoo]

Let's get the current tech a bit farther along before we add another variable.

Verge failed to mention this is a dev kit- the company had nothing to announce re: a consumer version.