DPVR E4 Announced with November Launch, Aims to Dominating the Consumer Market for Tethered PC VR Headsets

[TheLostSwede]

DPVR, a leading provider of virtual reality (VR) devices, has today announced the launch of its newest PC VR gaming headset with the introduction of the 'DPVR E4,' which is aimed at dominating the consumer market for tethered PC VR headsets. In a different category altogether from standalone VR headsets such as the Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4 devices, the DPVR E4 provides PC VR gamers with a tethered alternative that offers a wider field of view (FoV), in a more compact and lighter form factor, as well as offering a more affordable solution compared to high-price tag devices such as the VIVE Pro 2.

DPVR has been making VR headsets for seven years. Prior to E4's launch, the company's efforts were primarily directed towards the B2B market, with a specialized focus on the education and medical industries. Over the last decade, DPVR has completed three successful funding rounds, which the company has used for its research and development efforts into furthering its VR hardware and software offerings. This latest announcement from DPVR marks the company's first step into the consumer VR headset market.




DPVR has been working closely with SteamVR, as it aims to further open up the PC VR gaming market to more users by offering gamers an affordable PC VR headset solution that provides high-resolution images, low latency and precise positioning, all for a more immersive and enjoyable VR gaming experience.

In terms of features, E4 utilizes a HDMI interface, which supports a 120 Hz refresh rate on a SHARP 4K fast LCD screen. The headset also continues to utilize the more cost-effective Fresnel lens, however, the overall device design is more compact than other tethered PC VR headsets on the market, weighing in at just 280 g without head strap. E4 also offers a greater FoV than devices such as the Meta Quest 2.

Finally, the device is equipped with a 16.8 million-color LED light strip on its front shell, allowing gamers to customize the look of their E4 headset to match their existing RGB gaming setups. All of this combined offers gamers a realistic and immersive VR gaming experience at a significantly reduced cost.

DPVR E4 Pricing & Release Date
E4 is available to order starting from Nov 30. DPVR will be showcasing its new VR headset at the VRdays exhibition in Rotterdam this week (Nov 30-Dec 2, Booth 14). The official price of DPVR E4 is $549, with early bird pricing available at $499 for the first 2,000 units purchased between Nov 30-December 31. Devices will begin shipping before Jan 15, 2023. DPVR will also be holding a launch event in China next month, where the full specifications and features of E4 will be announced.

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[bug]

supports a 120 Hz refresh rate on a SHARP 4K fast LCD screen

Luckily for them, very few setups out there can't drive that

Finally, the device is equipped with a 16.8 million-color LED light strip on its front shell

Main hurdle to VR adoption removed

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

I'm desperate to get a tethered VR HMD, but they're just too expensive (my 73 year old mother has said it's one thing she really wants to try before leaving this world, so the pressure is on). Something needs to be released in the $300 range to have serious adoption.

 

[evernessince]

Luckily for them, very few setups out there can't drive that

We can thank Nvidia and AMD for that one. They've done a good job ensuring that consumers get no performance per dollar increase.

Just as an example, the 3050 is a mere 25% faster than the RX 580. That's a 25% performance bump over 5 years and that's before you consider that the MSRP of the 3050 is higher and that you can almost never buy an Nvidia card at MSRP anymore whereas you could with the 580. You are at best looking at a single digit performance per dollar improvement and that's before you factor in that the RX 580 was a refresh of the 480 and in general not that good for it's time either. I remember being able to buy RX 480s at the time for $140 - $160 for almost the same level of performance.

I'd say that level of performance per dollar improvement is on par with, if not worse, than the BS Intel served up during the Bulldozer era. To say the current market is bad is an understatement.

If anything is going to kill PCVR, it's the fact that newer HMDs are coming out with better specs for your money each year while the GPUs required to push those headsets keep increasing in price. Instead of GPU increasing performance per dollar we've moved to a model where we are constantly increasing the price of various GPU tiers or inventing new tiers all together to justify the increasing prices.

 

[trsttte]

I'm desperate to get a tethered VR HMD, but they're just too expensive (my 73 year old mother has said it's one thing she really wants to try before leaving this world, so the pressure is on). Something needs to be released in the $300 range to have serious adoption.

If you're in the US, HP was clearing stock of their reverb g2 (4k 90hz, co-designed with Valve, borrows A LOT from the Valve index) for 300$

I'd buy one, but shipping and taxes to Europe would make it too expensive for a "fuck it, why not" purchase

Luckily for them, very few setups out there can't drive that

You could always try to run it at 1080p with integer scaling. I don't know how ppi correlate in VR headsets but at that size/proximity might still be pretty good (the math gets weird with FOV and lens scaling, I don't know)

 

[Kohl Baas]

You could always try to run it at 1080p with integer scaling. I don't know how ppi correlate in VR headsets but at that size/proximity might still be pretty good (the math gets weird with FOV and lens scaling, I don't know)

Or, he can use DLSS/FSR to get the needed FPS. Perhaps dialing down graphics settings from ultra to like medium?

 

[Bwaze]

"DPVR, a leading provider of virtual reality (VR) devices"

*Doubt*

 

[bug]

You could always try to run it at 1080p with integer scaling. I don't know how ppi correlate in VR headsets but at that size/proximity might still be pretty good (the math gets weird with FOV and lens scaling, I don't know)

Or, he can use DLSS/FSR to get the needed FPS. Perhaps dialing down graphics settings from ultra to like medium?

Point being, if they are targeting "affordable", not putting a 4k screen in there would have made a lot more sense.

 

[Kohl Baas]

Point being, if they are targeting "affordable", not putting a 4k screen in there would have made a lot more sense.

They can't "not putting a 4k screen in" because resolution is still the biggest setback to any HMD out there. There are tons of cardboard VR options made of cheap phones and they are pretty much useless other than tipping your toe in. This thing aims the PC market which means they had to have the eyecandy for the proce of mobility. It aims to be cheap compared to the 2k+ professional sets.

 

[CyberCT]

I honestly don't see how this is worth it. This has no advantage over the Reverb G2 except for weight and an additional 30hz. Irrelevant.

If this was mini LED with pancake or aspheric lenses, then you have my attention.

 

[maxatnasa]

Luckily for them, very few setups out there can't drive that

Reverb g2 has similar displays but lower refresh rate, anything 2070 or better can run it at ful res

Or, he can use DLSS/FSR to get the needed FPS. Perhaps dialing down graphics settings from ultra to like medium?

Vr has had frame generation for ages before dlss 3, asw on oculus and frame reprojection of steamvr,

 

[Absolution]

"DPVR, a leading provider of virtual reality (VR) devices"

*Doubt*

Yeah never really heard of until now.