Name: HTC Co-founder is attempting to make Ready Player One's virtual world a reality
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HTC Co-founder is attempting to make Ready Player One's virtual world a reality

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XRSpace's VR headset could be the tech that finally takes virtual reality into the mainstream.It looks like it's straight out of Ready Player One but Peter Chou, the man best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Android phone maker , believes his latest project can finally take virtual reality into the mainstream. It’s called XRSpace and after three-years in development, it is now set to launch later this year with a 5G enabled (VR) headset and a virtual world where you can high five your friends, play games and watch a sporting event live. The headset, dubbed the Mova, is a self-contained headset that’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and appears to be smaller than other VR headsets currently on the market. The Mova also weighs 470 grams, which is notably less than the Oculus Quest (571g) and the Focus (695g). Using two cameras, the Mova boasts the ability to scan spaces to seamlessly recreate real physical locations inside VR and track hand movements, turning them into virtual world interactions, eliminating the need for clunky controllers.Unlike most other VR headsets, the Mova won’t be aimed solely at gamers or for commercial use. For Chou, this is what he thinks has held virtual reality back for years and a problem he’s been looking to solve since his time at HTC more than a decade ago. “Since the development of HTC Vive, I was already thinking that we need to actually develop something for the mass-market consumer. “VR has been more or less just a gimmick [so far],” he tells the Mirror. “There are a lot of barriers. “I mean one simple way of saying it is the previous device experience has not matured for widespread adoption, both with hardware and content. “That is why we have created these advanced computer vision technologies, digital avatars, and all these communication components inside [XRSpace] so that it can have a much more mature experience”. As for the virtual world, which is called Manova, it will contain a variety of public and private locations, including individual “home” hangout areas and viewing party spaces. Unlike other virtual platforms which jump between solitary apps, XRSpace suggests Manova is designed with experiences that are more relevant to real-life. Users will be able to seamlessly watch movies or live sporting events with friends and family within the shared virtual space. There will also be portals to take users to activities such as virtual yoga and dancing as well as the opportunity to view content from partners like Vogue. On the gaming front, users will be able to access notable games such as Angry Birds VR, mini-golf adventure Cloudlands 2 and fishing game Bait!, with more expected to be added. It’s all very reminiscent of the Oasis in Ready Player One and according to Chou that wasn’t a coincidence either. Chou was the chairman of Digital Domain, one of three VFX companies brought on by director Steven Spielberg to create the virtual world featured in the film adaption of the 2011 novel.“Yeah, I have to say that movie actually gave us a lot. “I was in the process of creating it [the Oasis] and understanding what it takes to make the world seen in Ready Player One look real. “But I want to be very clear that it was a movie and what we’ve created is very real.” Unfortunately, the Mirror hasn’t seen either product in action so there’s a chance this may not live up to expectations, especially as it seems like a lofty goal to bring this tech into the mainstream. And with an eye-watering price tag of £599, which is more expensive than the Oculus Quest, they may have a hard time convincing the average consumer it’s worth getting. Yet XRSpace is hoping that partnerships with mobile carriers will help them reach this ambitious target through packaged deals with 5G data plans.Read moreLatest science and techFor Taiwan, XRSpace is launching its headset with Chunghwa Telecom in the third quarter of this year (July 1 – September 30), whereas in the West, Deutsche Telekom will be bringing the Mova to Europe sometime after but no firm date has been set. If this is executed as planned then XRSpace may well achieve what they’ve set out to do and bring VR into the mainstream.Follow MORE ON

XRSpace's VR headset could be the tech that finally takes virtual reality into the mainstream.It looks like it's straight out of Ready Player One but Peter Chou, the man best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Android phone maker , believes his latest project can finally take virtual reality into the mainstream. It’s called XRSpace and after three-years in development, it is now set to launch later this year with a 5G enabled (VR) headset and a virtual world where you can high five your friends, play games and watch a sporting event live. The headset, dubbed the Mova, is a...

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Aodhan Gregory

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HTC Co-founder is attempting to make Ready Player One's virtual world a reality

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