Virtual Reality Progresses At CES 2015 As New Contenders Razer, Avegant Glyph And 3D Head Join In

From being a niche technology that was showcased at the turn of the next-gen consoles, virtual reality has already come a long way. And after Oculus VR pioneered the idea of making gaming even more immersive and added a few more gaming titles and experiences under its belt, gamers can now expect more contenders to join the growing arena of companies vying for VR attention.

At the CES 2015, two more companies have joined the virtual reality cause, starting with Razer. The bigger names in the VR industry today, such as Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus, have similar ways of pushing the concept of virtual reality forward. However, Razer's collaboration project with Sensics goes one step in another direction.

DualShockers reports that this was done by making the project an open source in terms of software and hardware. In fact, the company has made it possible for downloading, 3D-printing and building a model of the VR headset via the OSVR website. However, the source states that it will also be made available for sale in June for $200.

OSVR supports Windows, Android and Linux, with the development tools and software offered for free as an open source. It's still a new name joining the VR headset pool. But the unique experience it offers is to make virtual reality tools, software and gaming development more accessible and easier. Hopefully, this will fast-track the progress of virtual reality into the gaming scene. DualShockers has screenshots of the OSVR.

Razer is not the only company coming into virtual reality gaming, as Avegant has finally also made progress with the Avegant Glyph VR headset. According to Wareable, the company showed off the headset at the CES 2015 alongside the announcement of an autumn 2015 launch.

The report also highlights the main difference of Glyph where it targets the user's retinas and uses micro mirrors to project movies and games onto the eyes. What this creates is your own world, allowing a very immersive experience by itself without requiring other devices.

More than movies, Avegant's VR headset will also tap games. It has even demoed the likes of "Call of Duty: Ghosts" and "Alien Isolation." This is a far cry from where it was first showcased as Kickstarter project.

Beyond just the headset, CES 2015 also features the 3D Head. This project is touted to be an "Oculus Killer," and VRFocus reports that the hardware already hints at support for 2D and 3D games on the PC. Support for PlayStation is already hinted, though it is unspecified whether it will be for the PS4 or PS3.

There are a lot of exciting news coming for the VR reality aspect of gaming. Given how this is just the start of the year, the many developments and showcases may be a hint of the lot that's to come.

OSVR explained (Credit: YouTube/Razer)

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