Don’t underestimate the small stuff! A perfectly awesome and immersive virtual reality experience can be ruined by many things. Frame dips, nausea, jealousy, weak hardware, lack of skill, etc. are all unpleasant. Perhaps one of the worst offenders? Cord snags. That’s right, cord snags. Ever wear a corded headphone and thought you had more slack than you did, only to be caught off guard by an ever so violent tug on on your ears? We’ve been there more than once, and it doesn’t get better over time. I would expect that the same principle applies to Virtual Reality headsets, only with a more dire outcome.
But fret not readers, for Accell has you covered. Instead of being confined to 12′ of range from your elite gaming machine, the Accell Oculus Ready Certified USB-C VR Adapter provides you with an additional 8′ of yes please. It’s a simple and even cost-effective solution ($49.99 MSRP) that has a USB-C on one side, with a USB-A (3.0 speed) and HDMI 2.0b on the other. HDMI 2.0b is important because this port supports HDR, 4k @ 60fps, 32 channels of audio, and DSYNC (important for video and audio sync), and more.
The specs are important because although the current Oculus Rift has 90hz refresh rates at less than half the resolution of 4k, there is a strong likelihood that Oculus 2 (coming sometime this year) will have more screen resolution and require appropriately spec’d hardware to support it. I think it’s smart that Accell went with HDMI 2.0b instead of 2.0a, even with the price point considered. I think with that being said, this extender should work with upcoming virtual reality headsets as well.
Even though the primary intent is for Oculus and VR, this can still benefit business travelers looking for an quick extension cable from their USB-C DisplayPort Alt-mode enabled laptop looking to add HDMI functionality for a projector with the benefit of having a USB 3.0 port nearby. I’ve been to meetings were a product like this would still come in handy.
Although I do not have one of these to test (yet) I anticipate Accell to have made a high quality product just like everything else I’ve covered from them in the past. The cables have always held up to a lot of abuse while still being flexible. Both traits are extremely important when using it on something like a VR headset which involves a lot of motion. With that being said, I think those who use VR headsets and move around a lot will greatly benefit from a product like this, which will be available on Amazon and the Accell store on January 14th. This product is already Oculus Ready Certified, and is the first Windows Platform Type-C to HDMI adapter with a built in 8 foot extension. There’s a lot going for it, and for good reason. Check back with us as we hope to properly review this product after all the buzz at CES!
Some Specs:
- Model: J231C-008B-3
- MSRP: $49.99
- USB Type C on one side, USB Type-A 3.0 + HDMI 2.0b on the other
- Requires RTX 2060, 2070, 2080, 2080Ti OR a Laptop with USB-C DisplayPort Alt-Mode and GTX 980 or above performance
- Extension is 8′ long (2.5 meters)
- 2 year limited warranty
- Launch Date: January 14th, 2019
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