TPCast Pre-Order?

The Vive has a 3 cable pretty large and heavy strand unless you buy the 3-in-1 replacement. Even then, you have to drag the thing cable around in room scale. Even just seated I don't like the cable attached to the HMD and its added weight.The wireless adapter adds a little weight to the head unit but it isn't nearly as bad.
 
The Vive has a 3 cable pretty large and heavy strand unless you buy the 3-in-1 replacement. Even then, you have to drag the thing cable around in room scale. Even just seated I don't like the cable attached to the HMD and its added weight.The wireless adapter adds a little weight to the head unit but it isn't nearly as bad.
I have a spring on my wire for the Oculus. I don't mind the wire. If they can keep the lag down on a wireless set, that won't be too bad.
I hope when resolutions go up that wireless is able to keep up.
 
I upgraded to the 3-in-1 Vive replacement cable when it was first released. It basically mimics the Rift's cable - a single round cable which is much easier to cope with as it bends easier and weighs less. Yes, a tethered cable in VR can suck at times, but to me at least, TPCAST just barely checks the box as to going fully wireless right now... it's expensive, requires rechargeable batteries, slightly increases signal latency, and it adds to headset weight. Granted these nits aren't huge (well, except for the price as it costs as much as buying the Rift itself) and some will gladly accept them in order to go untethered, but I still feel that the bang for the buck simply isn't there for the Rift/Vive, which both need to operate within an enclosed/defined play area to begin with. Once outside-in tracking becomes the norm, I can really see this as a "must have" added tech though. It will also have to evolve to support higher resolutions as it is barely meeting this need right now and relies on signal compression to get there. To me at least, where the Rift/Vive are concerned, it's like the difference between having a wired and a wireless mouse, just not that big a deal. Some see it as a much bigger deal though I guess.
 
Here we go again...

US pre orders direct from TPCast https://www.tpcastvr.com/store $299 with fedX ground shipping around $25 , 2 day for $85 and next day for $132. Customer service said they are shooting for a mid Nov release.
 
Just a little reluctant with their current track record on his to comit 300$
 
Just a little reluctant with their current track record on his to comit 300$
Unless the quality is that on par with the Pimax 8K, I would not even bother. If the pics I saw are correct and true that is....
 
Just received confirmation and tracking numbers saying my TPCast has shipped. Should receive it on Saturday
 
Received my unit, ordered Nov 8th, shipped Nov 14th received today. Looks like it shipped from California

Only had a chance to unbox and throw the battery on the charger as I was leaving with the wife. TBH not sure what charger it comes with at this point.

Here are some photos I took before I left.

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I'll try and get some more photos up later tonight or first thing in the morning.
 
I own a couple of those Anker battery packs. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X5RV14Y) They are great for trips/travel when you need juice and there's none to be had - like long flights. So, nice to have even if you don't just use it exclusively with the TPcast. They are fairly heavy though and take a solid 6-8 hours to fully charge if near empty. You'll definitely feel the weight in your pocket when using it with the TPcast, but it shouldn't be too bad. Supposedly there is still no mic support, but there's a 3rd party program that might help get it working here: https://github.com/OpenTPCast

Looking forward to your review/opinion on it!
 
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I upgraded to the 3-in-1 Vive replacement cable when it was first released. It basically mimics the Rift's cable - a single round cable which is much easier to cope with as it bends easier and weighs less. Yes, a tethered cable in VR can suck at times, but to me at least, TPCAST just barely checks the box as to going fully wireless right now... it's expensive, requires rechargeable batteries, slightly increases signal latency, and it adds to headset weight. Granted these nits aren't huge (well, except for the price as it costs as much as buying the Rift itself) and some will gladly accept them in order to go untethered, but I still feel that the bang for the buck simply isn't there for the Rift/Vive, which both need to operate within an enclosed/defined play area to begin with. Once outside-in tracking becomes the norm, I can really see this as a "must have" added tech though. It will also have to evolve to support higher resolutions as it is barely meeting this need right now and relies on signal compression to get there. To me at least, where the Rift/Vive are concerned, it's like the difference between having a wired and a wireless mouse, just not that big a deal. Some see it as a much bigger deal though I guess.

Just FYI the new vive replacement cable is a couple grams heavier than the original one. I weighed them both when I saw someone make that claim because I didn't believe it. I think it feels lighter because it behaves more like a rope than a belt, in terms of how it flexes.

Even with the new cable, I feel that it is the most constant immersion breaker while playing games, no matter how accustomed I am to quickly moving it out of my way.
 
So far setup was a breeze, I charged the battery overnight and after running the connection wizard all was well. With that said I had a small issue with my two motion controllers. Not sure if someone moved one of my lighthouse and did not re calibrate the room before jumping in.

Regarding setup, not too happy to have to run another wireless router on my network. I already have two setup so when family friends are over I can get them online but isolate them from the rest of my network.

TPCast states not to look at or change anything on their wireless router. They recommend connecting the router via wired which was not a problem for me as all my nodes are hard wired. The connection wizard asks to enter the SSID and password on the back of the power pack. Entered that info and you are connected. You reuse the power supply from your Vive breakout box however they tell you to place their PC transmitter (HDMI or video transmitter) high and center. However the HDMI jumper from the Vive breakout box and computer is only 1/2 a meter so you may have to grab a longer cable. I placed this box just left of my 65" monitor about 4-5 feet off the ground.

It took me longer to find a long enough HDMI cable then to setup the TPCast.

While I don't have anyway to measure latency via the HMD, I will say I can not tell the difference between wireless and wired. A funny problem I had was I'm use to the cable telling me where my PC/TV is located. Without that cable you tend to wonder a lot more, which is nice.

PC
i7 2700K
16 gigs of ram
Samsung 850 1T HD
EVGA 1080 (non Ti)

The only game I tried was Arizona Sunshine.

I was going to pickup a few extra ANKER 20100 battery packs but after playing just over an hour and a half, I noticed my wands where at 70% but the TPCast battery was still full. They say it takes a good 10 hours to charge a completely drained pack.

The battery pack is held in a fishnet type bag that goes around a belt (included). You really can't tell there is anything extra on the HMD and after about a minute I could not feel the battery pack.

So far so good, only negative, they don't give you a charger for the 20100. Granted I have draw full of old 2A apple chargers so I'm covered there but you would think they would throw one in.

Family will be over for Thanksgiving and I'll put it through a better test for a longer period of time to see if I need another battery pack (about $35 on amazon)

I'll also upload more pictures in a few
 
I should add it would have been nice to have some type of pass-through in case you kill the battery. Not a big deal but a PITA if you had to unplug the TPCast and plug your old wired cable in when / if needed.
 
So far setup was a breeze, I charged the battery overnight and after running the connection wizard all was well. With that said I had a small issue with my two motion controllers. Not sure if someone moved one of my lighthouse and did not re calibrate the room before jumping in.

Regarding setup, not too happy to have to run another wireless router on my network. I already have two setup so when family friends are over I can get them online but isolate them from the rest of my network.

TPCast states not to look at or change anything on their wireless router. They recommend connecting the router via wired which was not a problem for me as all my nodes are hard wired. The connection wizard asks to enter the SSID and password on the back of the power pack. Entered that info and you are connected. You reuse the power supply from your Vive breakout box however they tell you to place their PC transmitter (HDMI or video transmitter) high and center. However the HDMI jumper from the Vive breakout box and computer is only 1/2 a meter so you may have to grab a longer cable. I placed this box just left of my 65" monitor about 4-5 feet off the ground.

It took me longer to find a long enough HDMI cable then to setup the TPCast.

While I don't have anyway to measure latency via the HMD, I will say I can not tell the difference between wireless and wired. A funny problem I had was I'm use to the cable telling me where my PC/TV is located. Without that cable you tend to wonder a lot more, which is nice.

PC
i7 2700K
16 gigs of ram
Samsung 850 1T HD
EVGA 1080 (non Ti)

The only game I tried was Arizona Sunshine.

I was going to pickup a few extra ANKER 20100 battery packs but after playing just over an hour and a half, I noticed my wands where at 70% but the TPCast battery was still full. They say it takes a good 10 hours to charge a completely drained pack.

The battery pack is held in a fishnet type bag that goes around a belt (included). You really can't tell there is anything extra on the HMD and after about a minute I could not feel the battery pack.

So far so good, only negative, they don't give you a charger for the 20100. Granted I have draw full of old 2A apple chargers so I'm covered there but you would think they would throw one in.

Family will be over for Thanksgiving and I'll put it through a better test for a longer period of time to see if I need another battery pack (about $35 on amazon)

I'll also upload more pictures in a few
Well, just ordered mine. Here's to hoping this goes better than the Microsoft debacle.
 
Good Luck spugm1r3. I paid the cheaper shipping option which took about a week from Calf to Florida, once they shipped it.
 
Good Luck spugm1r3. I paid the cheaper shipping option which took about a week from Calf to Florida, once they shipped it.

Quick update: I ordered from the TPCast website on 11/22. It's been listed as "Processing" since. After engaging their customer support through their Live Chat, it looks like everything is on hold for the next 2-4 weeks while they replenish stock. I may, or may not, receive mine before Christmas.

Pros: Their customer support was very responsive, even at 6am MST.
Cons: Stock issues, their email notifications are pretty spartan and there is no FAQ on the website relating to shipping concerns.

I'll update when I actually receive mine to see if my experience is consistent. The takeaway here is that the Microsoft supply issues are persisting, but the response from TPCast has been far better.
 
Newegg has them sold and shipped by Newegg. $299 is tempting!
 
I ended up getting mine on the 1st. I give TPCast's customer service an A+. Also, they used Fedex for shipping, instead of OnTrac, which is appreciated. I'll be doing the big rollout on Christmas, so I'll post something about the experience after.
 
I got one for the Rift, I'll let you guys know when they ship it and if I think it's worth it once I have it up and running.
 
I wish they were 4K for future stuff. I can't see spending that much just for wireless right now for 2K.
 
I wish they were 4K for future stuff. I can't see spending that much just for wireless right now for 2K.

Ultra low latency HDMI is apparently a technical achievement since no one else can do it.

Someone needs to set this up in their yard and have a real play area...

But that is one of my criteria for my next VR purchase (I have the Vive), 4k and wireless. I realize I might be waiting a long time.
 
Ultra low latency HDMI is apparently a technical achievement since no one else can do it.

Someone needs to set this up in their yard and have a real play area...

But that is one of my criteria for my next VR purchase (I have the Vive), 4k and wireless. I realize I might be waiting a long time.

On the flipside, you don't have to go through any of the feelings that you should've waited. Unlike buying video cards, or CPUs, you can pretty well count on 18-24 months before something is going to tick all of your "must have" boxes.
 
On the flipside, you don't have to go through any of the feelings that you should've waited. Unlike buying video cards, or CPUs, you can pretty well count on 18-24 months before something is going to tick all of your "must have" boxes.

I've had no buyer remorse at all. It's a blast. These are must have's for the next revision. I wouldn't hold off on buying the current rev IMO.

I think TPcast will be an Easter purchase for us.
 
They have also announced they are taking pre orders for their Rift version.
 
It's interesting that half the components seem to be off-the-shelf stuff (battery pack, router). Looking forward to an [H] write-up.
 
Hmmmm. Well I guess for 23 I could bite on that. I won;t be able to use them all since I have a stupid ceiling fan close. I can put it right at the edge of the blade and turn it off when playing.
Sweat or not get twisted up? Hard call...
 
It's interesting that half the components seem to be off-the-shelf stuff (battery pack, router). Looking forward to an [H] write-up.

Also there is a small linux computer in the thing that connects to the battery, which is used to transmit the USB tracking data over wifi
 
Like all new hardware, if I can wait for an [H] review I will :) Wondering if they have the mic working yet for one. I'd prefer to get the Rift version if it comes out only a month or two later, but this might get me to switch back to the Vive if it's a longer wait.
 
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