Both Asus and Gigabyte plan to launch wearable VR headsets in 2016, according to new report

Asus Gigabyte VR

Facebook’s Oculus and HTC and Valve’s Vive will have some competition in the PC virtual reality sphere in 2016, according to a recent report by Digitimes. Both Asus and Gigabyte will present VR devices in the first half of 2016, says the Taiwanese tech publication. Asus will focus on a device that can be used with their gaming notebook series, while Gigabyte are teaming up with VR developer 3Glasses to co-produce a headset. 

Searching for some hardware that’ll run VR experiences without lag or motion sickness? Our GTX 970 group test is a good place to start.

“Asustek Computer plans to launch wearable virtual reality (VR) devices to be used with its gaming notebooks, writes Digitimes, “while with Gigabyte Technology is also doing so by working with VR technology developer 3Glasses, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.”

3Glasses currently have a VR headset on the market called the D2, which is capable of a 2K (2560 x 1440) display output. It’s likely, then, that Gigabyte’s co-developed product will feature a similar spec.

Asus, meanwhile, already confirmed that they’re developing an augmented reality (AR) headset that they’ll be launching in 2016, intended as a cheaper alternative to Microsoft’s HoloLens. And there’s plenty of room for cheaper alternatives – the HoloLens dev kit costs $3000.

The report doesn’t specify if Asus are working on another headset seperate to this AR project. However, earlier in 2015 the company gained Oculus certification and launched a line of ‘Oculus-ready’ machines kitted out with the hardware required to run VR programs smoothly.

VR probably still won’t be widely adopted in 2016, but the more manufacturers there are vying for your dollar, the better their product have to be to compete, so the report spells good news on a consumer level.