'FOVE 0' VR HMD Hardware, Minimum System Specs Finalized
Fove’s VR head-mounted display (HMD) stood out from its competitors because the device included eye-tracking sensors. This selling point convinced enough people to back the company’s Kickstarter campaign last year. Since then, we got our first look at the HMD at CES, and at the Tokyo Game Show, the company released the final specs and pre-order details of its first HMD, the FOVE 0, as well as minimum PC requirements.
After some changes to the HMD’s design (the most recent change was in July), it seems that the company finalized the hardware inside the device. In addition to the white shell that we saw at CES, it seems that you can also get the HMD in a black variant. However, the straps will retain its black color on both models.
| FOVE 0 HMD Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Display | WQHD OLED (2560 x 1440) |
| Display framerate | 70 Hz |
| Field of view | 90 degrees ~ 100 degrees |
| Tracking Sensor | Head and position tracking |
| Eye-tracking sensor | 120 frames per second eye-tracking system (x2), less than one degree of accuracy |
| Weight | 520g (about 1.14 lbs) |
| Audio | 3.5mm audio jack |
| Connection | HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 |
| Accessories | Position tracking camera and face cushion |
For the most part, the hardware requirements are nearly the same as for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The spec sheet doesn’t specify an AMD equivalent for the CPU, but both AMD and HTC told us that an FX-8350 should get the job done on the Rift and Vive, so it will probably work with the FOVE 0, as well. You can find AMD's processor equivalent on our CPU hierarchy page.
If you didn’t back the campaign last year, you can place an order on November 2 at 8am PST. If you visit the company’s website now, you can join a waitlist that provides additional information about the pre-order as well as “exclusive pre-order offers.”
| FOVE 0 Minimum Requirements | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4590 (Haswell, 3.3 GHz) |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| Interface | HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports |
| OS | Windows 8.1 and 10 (64-bit) |
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Rexly Peñaflorida is a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering topics such as computer hardware, video games, and general technology news.
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bit_user Replyless than one degree of accuracy
This makes it sound bad.
Typically, this would be written as Accuracy: +/- 1.0 degree. Or, worded as "Accurate to within one degree".
Also, it'd be nice to know what APIs it supports. For instance, what about Valve's OpenVR?
And current pricing (or lack thereof) would be appreciated. I visited the website, but saw only a wait-list link. -
Dunzaus 70 Hz? HMD's need Atleast 90 Hz so that you won't get a headache, so that just fails right out of the box..?Reply -
bit_user Reply
I think the issue is more one of nausea, and the level of sensitivity supposedly depends on the individual. Also, I think some people can adjust to the experience. The type of content is also a factor.18608134 said:70 Hz? HMD's need Atleast 90 Hz so that you won't get a headache, so that just fails right out of the box..? -
Sakkura Reply18608169 said:
I think the issue is more one of nausea, and the level of sensitivity supposedly depends on the individual. Also, I think some people can adjust to the experience. The type of content is also a factor.18608134 said:70 Hz? HMD's need Atleast 90 Hz so that you won't get a headache, so that just fails right out of the box..?
A headache is one way VR sickness can manifest, nausea is another. It depends on the person and circumstances.
And yeah overall sensitivity to VR sickness is very individual and content-dependent, but there's a reason Vive and Rift both picked 90 Hz. That's what it takes to avoid VR sickness for most people in most content. -
Zapin The 70hz thing is definitely a drawback and it seems to share the Oculus weakness of seated or standing experiences only using a standard controller. Oculus has a road map to overcome its shortcomings in this regard when the Touch Controllers come out and I suspect that when this happens even more developers will shift towards a more complete VR experience that something like the FOVE may be incapable of showing (unless they themselves plan to add hardware in the future).Reply
If the Eye tracking does indeed prove itself more than a gimmick via UI control and FOVEATED RENDERING then perhaps the FOVE may contribute to the evolution of VR but that remains to be seen and with a MSRP estimated to be around $350 US it will be a hard sell for most people when there are more widely adopted options availible for only a bit more money. -
computerguy72 Kinda disappointed at those specs. I thought the point was foveated rendering and that doesn't seem to be where they are going with it at all. I don't see how they would attract any new customers with a poor mans rift/vive + eye tracking. It's pixel density would need to be much higher to take true advantage of that feature.Reply -
bit_user Reply
Their biggest shortcoming will probably be the software library, unless they can add support for seated Vive titles through OpenVR. But their website indicates only a proprietary API, meaning developers would have to explicitly support their HMD.18610500 said:The 70hz thing is definitely a drawback and it seems to share the Oculus weakness of seated or standing experiences only using a standard controller.
How do you know it doesn't do foveated rendering? Maybe they can support a much richer environment than Rift or Vive, on the same spec PC.18610528 said:Kinda disappointed at those specs. I thought the point was foveated rendering and that doesn't seem to be where they are going with it at all. I don't see how they would attract any new customers with a poor mans rift/vive + eye tracking. It's pixel density would need to be much higher to take true advantage of that feature.
Let's not forget that GTX 970 is a relatively lower-spec card than when Rift & Vive launched. So, if the purchase price of this thing is low, then you might be looking at a considerably cheaper solution.
Ultimately, their goal might be to get snapped up by a bigger player. Maybe this HMD is just the next step towards that.
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Sakkura Reply18611082 said:Let's not forget that GTX 970 is a relatively lower-spec card than when Rift & Vive launched. So, if the purchase price of this thing is low, then you might be looking at a considerably cheaper solution.
What? GTX 970 and R9 290 is the same spec as the Rift and Vive had at launch.
FOVE has a higher resolution to drive (well, at least the basic screen resolution), but at a lower refresh rate. So we're seeing the same hardware requirements for a similar workload.