Open-Source Virtual Reality establishes an open platform for VR gaming — $200 dev kit launches this June

Following Facebook’s $2 billion purchase of Oculus VR and Samsung’s launch of their Gear VR Innovator Edition headset, no one doubts that virtual reality is hot. Isn’t it time that someone started on a standard for VR gaming?

OSVR sets out to be that standard. Gaming hardware company Razer, VR technology company Sensics, and a large group of like-minded industry leaders have come together to create the Open-Source Virtual Reality ecosystem. Announced today during the 2015 International CES, this free, open-source development solution has one goal: to push the VR gaming experience forward. Input device manufacturers Bosch, Virtuix, and LeapMotion are on the list of current supporters of the standard, as are game developers Gearbox Software and Techland, among others.

Razer will support this effort with its OSVR Hacker Dev Kit, which includes a VR headset and open-source software. The kit is already in the hands of select developers, and it will go live for public release Q2 2015 at $200. It works with popular game engines like Unity 3D and Unreal 4 Engine, and it’s compatible with several input devices, including those from Sixense and Razer. It even supports other VR devices, including the Oculus Rift DK 2.

“Gaming is moving toward the virtual reality platform and this poses huge benefits and challenges to gamers at every level,” Razer cofounder and CEO Min-Liang Tan said in a statement. “OSVR brings game developers, gamers and hardware manufacturers together to solve those challenges and make virtual reality gaming a reality for the masses.”

The OSVR kit’s headset features a 5.5-inch display running at 1,080-by-1920 resolution at 60 frames per second, and a display board interface provides for interchangeable panels. The HMD’s sensor hub contains an integrated accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. The group says that the kit includes low-distortion optics that practically eliminate the need or color or distortion correction.

Razer is showing the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit at the 2015 International CES this week.