Virtual Reality

New standalone, Vive-based VR headset steps out of the Shadows

New standalone, Vive-based VR headset steps out of the Shadows
Shadow Creator has unveiled the Shadow VR, a standalone headset built on HTC's Vive Wave platform
Shadow Creator has unveiled the Shadow VR, a standalone headset built on HTC's Vive Wave platform
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Shadow Creator has unveiled the Shadow VR, a standalone headset built on HTC's Vive Wave platform
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Shadow Creator has unveiled the Shadow VR, a standalone headset built on HTC's Vive Wave platform
The Shadow VR motion controllers are tracked by the headset from the inside-out, so no external sensors are needed
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The Shadow VR motion controllers are tracked by the headset from the inside-out, so no external sensors are needed
The Shadow VR is available now for US$399
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The Shadow VR is available now for US$399
The Shadow VR is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor and a 3,400-mAh battery
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The Shadow VR is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor and a 3,400-mAh battery
The Shadow VR motion controllers look like most others, with buttons, trackpads and six degrees of freedom to the movement
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The Shadow VR motion controllers look like most others, with buttons, trackpads and six degrees of freedom to the movement
View gallery - 5 images

The virtual reality playing field is spreading out to fill all niches, and HTC is helping speed that along by getting its open source platform Vive Wave out to third party companies. Chinese manufacturer Shadow Creator is the latest to jump on board, unveiling the Shadow VR standalone headset.

The Shadow VR is designed to fall right in the middle of the virtual reality landscape, placing it more or less on the same ground as the Oculus Quest and HTC's own Vive Focus. These headsets are all standalone devices, meaning they don't need to be plugged into a powerful PC – like the Vive or Oculus Rift – nor are they running off a phone, like Samsung's Gear VR or Google's Daydream.

The Shadow VR is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor and a 3,400-mAh battery
The Shadow VR is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor and a 3,400-mAh battery

To do that job, the Shadow VR packs all the brains into the headset itself. It's powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor, which is the chipset you'll find in many smartphones from 2017 and 2018, while a 3,400-mAh battery supplies the juice. Since it doesn't connect to an external source, the device is completely cordless – unless you want to play while it's recharging through USB-C, although we're not entirely sure it lets users do that.

Shadow Creator says the headset is built with Fresnel ultra-thin optical lenses, providing a 110-degree field of view and a combined resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. That's not too far short of the high-end headsets.

Rather than setting up external sensors like PC-based rigs, Shadow VR uses inside-out tracking, meaning the visor itself has all the sensors it needs to watch out for obstacles and keep an eye on the motion controllers. Both the headset and controllers provide six degrees of freedom in terms of movement.

The Shadow VR motion controllers are tracked by the headset from the inside-out, so no external sensors are needed
The Shadow VR motion controllers are tracked by the headset from the inside-out, so no external sensors are needed

Tall and ergonomic, those controllers follow the same basic form as most others. There are two buttons within easy reach of your thumb, and a large trackpad just above that. Extra buttons sit on the sides for your fingers, and the headset tracks them by watching the round bulb on the end, which was clearly borrowed from a PlayStation Move wand.

The Shadow VR is available now for US$399.

Source: Shadow Creator

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