The headline of this post makes it seem a touch more innocuous than the story may lead to, at least if you believe the rumor mills abound. There has been an ongoing issue with AMD systems using Ryzen CPUs and the HTC Vive wireless adapter (powered by Intel WiGig) to where the systems have frozen or even had a BSOD. HTC acknowledged this as early as Nov, 2018, noting that they have seen this with a subset of Ryzen-based motherboards when the PCIe wireless adapter is installed and running. It took until last week to get a solution of sorts, and unfortunately reports from users indicate this is not a true fix for everyone.

The hotfix update 1.20190410.0 was made available April 25 to attempt to combat this issue, which was garnering a lot of attention in the VR-community on whether there was more Intel could be doing to help AMD customers. This hotfix update is available automatically once an end user with the Vive wireless adapter checks for an update, and HTC acknowledge that they continue to test this, as well as partner with Intel and AMD to help resolve this once and for all. In the meantime, users report mixed success to date, including some we know personally as well, and it remains a thorn in the side of wireless VR to get to the PC successfully.

The promise of cordless, wireless, true freedom-of-movement VR gaming has been somewhat of an elusive unicorn, but HTC have finally taken one of the larger steps in that quest. After more than a year showing of the untethering wireless tech for the Vive headset, HTC has now begun shipping of the add-on. It's going for $299 - whether or not that price is justified in the current state of VR, and adding to the base headset's pricing, is something that is reserved for each prospective buyers' judgment. There are two months of Viveport added in the mix, though - that does virtually lower the entry pricing.

The adapter has a range of 6 meters, which should be enough for freedom-defining VR experiences - up to two hours in length at a time, of course. The data stream has been developed around Intel's WiGig tech, alongside DisplayLink's IP. Vive Pro owners, however, are being left in the cold already, in a move that will surely bring headaches to HTC - takers of the top-tier headset will have to splurge an additional $60 for a compatibility enabler for the new Vive Wireless Adapter. Ouch?