PlutoSpheres logo. (Pluto VR Image)<\/p>\n
Seattle startup Pluto VR has brought its virtual reality streaming platform PlutoSphere into Early Access, which gives interested players a chance to check out and influence a pre-release version of the software. <\/p>\n
Initially announced in February 2021, PlutoSphere allows its users to stream VR applications to a headset without the need for a local computer, in order to dramatically reduce the cost of entry for virtual reality. Instead of building a new rig around VR compatibility, you can theoretically just get a headset, then run everything from every library you own via data streaming.<\/p>\n
PlutoSphere is currently compatible with the Oculus Quest and Quest 2, with plans to support other headsets and mobile devices in the future. It also requires a 5 Ghz WiFi 6 Internet connection, 50 Mbps of bandwidth, a Steam account, and less than 100ms ping to an Amazon Web Services region.<\/p>\n
In exchange, you get what Pluto VR advertises as a hardware-agnostic, open-ecosystem platform that lets you access VR apps from your Steam, Epic Games Store, and Oculus libraries, all in one place via data streaming.<\/p>\n
The idea behind PlutoSphere, according to Pluto VR co-founder Forest Gibson, is to break down the walled garden that currently surrounds the virtual reality and spatial computing scenes. Pluto VR advertises PlutoSphere as a bridge between the open PC ecosystem and standalone VR hardware.<\/p>\n
SideQuest is a more open platform that supports developers innovating in the XR ecosystem, Gibson said in a press release. Now VR users around the world can access PlutoSphere and gain the power of PC VR without having to buy a computer. Pluto has been working on PlutoSphere in a private alpha test for the last year, in conjunction with a group of early adopters and testers.<\/p>\n
Oculus\/Meta users can grab PlutoSphere via SideQuest as of Feb. 2. The platform is free to use in Early Access a funding model used for apps in pre-release stages for a limited period of time each day, although users can extend that period by purchasing Pluto tokens.<\/p>\n
Pluto VR was started in 2015 by Gibson, Jared Cheshier, former Disney animation executive Jonathan Geibel, and PopCap co-founder John Vechey. Its other projects include an eponymous communication service for VR environments, and Metachromium, a spatial browser that lets you open web browser apps as an overlay running on top of any other VR game.<\/p>\n
According to the NPD Group, sales of VR\/AR gear more than doubled during the 2021 holiday season, with slightly lower overall growth in the market for the full year. Its still considered a niche in the wider video game industry, but with multiple companies now focusing on augmented\/mixed reality applications, i.e. smart glasses, and the Metaverse, the VR market is growing much faster than anyone wouldve expected in 2020.<\/p>\n
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Pluto VR debuts tech that lets you stream virtual reality to a headset without a computer - GeekWire<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PlutoSpheres logo. (Pluto VR Image) Seattle startup Pluto VR has brought its virtual reality streaming platform PlutoSphere into Early Access, which gives interested players a chance to check out and influence a pre-release version of the software. Continue reading