What is a VR Backpack?

You know about a VR headset. Even if you don’t you can imagine what that might entail. You can probably also envision VR hand controllers. However, what is a VR backpack? This is a new product that has been developed by HP. Yes, the printer company. They are now working hard on virtual reality technology and they have a few headsets on the market already. It’s basically a VR console that you can wear strapped to your back. You can also settle it down and hook it up to a screen like a normal computer setup.

Untethered headsets like Oculus Quest kind of make a VR backpack seem a little unwieldy, but it seems that HP’s backpack packs way more of a punch, but costs about 8 times as much as some of the better headsets on the market. When you consider that it’s basically a super small, high powered gaming computer that you can wear on your back, it kind of seems worth it.

The newest version of the backpack is called the HP VR Backpack G2. As the name suggests, it is the second generation. This new backpack is reported to cost about $3200! That is quite a bit when you consider most other VR headsets, including untethered ones that encompass everything in one unit, are less than $1,000, many of them a lot less. However, if you love the backpack idea you can get the first generation of this product for just about the same price as many other popular headsets. The Omen, as it is called, is now selling for $400.

Ready to strap your VR experience onto your back? It is a cool idea because it gives you more power with the untethered experience. However, this product will be out this summer and it will probably be best to read the reviews as people actually get to try it to see how it compares to the original and whether or not people prefer this backpack experience or the untethered headset experience.