MSI’s VR backpack now available to pre-order

One solution to the problem of tethered VR headsets has taken a step closer to release.

MSI’s VR One, which was announced in May, is a full PC housed in a backpack. The design tries to sidestep the problem of your VR headset being attached via a beefy cable to a stationary PC unit by having said unit strapped to your back.

The entry-level $1,999 SKU offers a 2.7GHz Core i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics card along with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. A second $2,299 version ups that to a GTX 1070 and a 512GB SSD.

Both come with a pair of batteries that offer only around 1.5 of game time. The unit can also be plugged into the mains to use as a desktop.

In truth this seems like a heavy-handed solution to a problem that you’d expect to be solved in the next-generation of PC and console VR [Hey look – aren’t we clever?].

While smartphones already offer a tetherless VR solution, they pale in comparison to the ‘full’ VR experience. However, you can be sure that all of the major players are currently working on ways of addressing VR’s cable problem. Don’t be surprised to see mainstream solution arriving perhaps as early as next year.

The MSI VR One is due to start shipping on November 30th.