Intel cuts the HTC Vive's annoying cords

Right now, the HTC Vive is the most immersive and amazing VR experience you can get. It's also a tangled mess of wires chained to a PC that takes up a lot of space. Not so, however, with a new Vive prototype equipped with Intel 's WiGig technology. Able to transfer and relay large amounts of data wirelessly, the prototype, which was demonstrated at Computex in Taiwan Tuesday, apparently offers the same rich VR environment, but without the fussy cords to trip you up.

"We will be working together [with HTC] to leverage Intel's WiGig technology to create a VR accessory that allows Vive customers to get high-fidelity, low latency, immersive VR experiences without the wire," Intel Senior Vice President Gregory Bryant said in a statement.

That's a good thing too, since the Vive is the only virtual reality setup to provide a truly walkable experience that's able to track you and keep everything in the proper scale. There are mobile VR options available, such as the Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR, but they rely on phones for computing power. The Vive uses the full CPU and graphics chops of a high-octane dedicated gaming PC.

"The WiGig technology, based on 802.11ad standard, works solely in the interference-free 60GHz band, and enables high throughput and low latency," HTC said in a statement. "This means pristine video quality with less than 7ms latency in any environment, supporting multiple users sharing the same space."

As cool as it sounds, don't expect to be able to buy this upgraded Vive at your local Best Buy anytime soon. HTC called the current version a "proof of concept," and gave no indication of price or availability. The still-nascent WiGig technology has yet to appear in any end-user consumer products.

HTC plans to show off the prototype during the gargantuan gaming expo E3, which starts June 13 in Los Angeles.

Be sure to check out the rest of CNET's Computex 2017 coverage here.