Intel enters virtual reality market with all-in-one Project Alloy

Leading chip manufacturer Intel has revealed its own entry in the VR space, an all-in-one device currently titled Project Alloy.

‘All-in-one’ means the headset already contains compute, graphics and sensors, and is powered by batteries, according to VentureBeat – no need to connect to a computer. Instead, it will connect with a gaming rig wirelessly.

Intel has built its RealSense cameras into the device, which will sense the environment around you to prevent players from bumping into hazards. In fact, the firm claims you’ll be able to move even further around your environment with what it calls “room to room tracking”. 

It also has some form of hand-tracking so users can interact with virtual objects, and incorporates Windows Holographic OS.

Project Alloy is very much still in development, with Intel yet to give an estimation of when it might ship. The hardware is expected to go open-source at the tail end of 2017.

“We can take the virtual world into the real world,” said chief exec Brian Krzanich at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. “You can interact with the virtual world. We believe the capabilities Alloy introduces are truly significant.”