Virtual reality in a backpack?

Zotac has introduced a new generation of wearable VR Go computers, which greatly increase the performance of systems dedicated to gaming in virtual reality. Although new machines designed for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications are by default more powerful than their predecessors and use professional NVIDIA GPUs, they do not necessarily include the latest and greatest processors and graphics cards.

Zotac VR Go 4.0 wearables are based on Intel's 11th Gen 'Tiger Lake' eight-core Core i7-11800H notebook processor and Nvidia RTX A2000 8GB (GA106, 2560 CUDA cores, 20 RayTracing cores) or RTX A4500 notebook GPUs. 16GB (GA104, 5888 CUDA cores, 46 RT cores).

The Zbox-VR7N2000 and Zbox-VR7N4500 computers are equipped with 16 GB of DDR4 memory (expandable up to 32 GB) and a 512 GB M.2 SSD. For those who need extra storage space, there's a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD drive bay and a 3-in-1 card reader. In terms of connectivity, VR Go 4.0 systems include Intel Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 adapter AX1650, GbE port, USB 3.1 Type-C port, two display outputs (DisplayPort and HDMI), six USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 Type-A ports and 3 .5 mm audio input/output jacks.

The Zotac VR Go 4.0 offers up to 50 minutes of battery life when working with AR/VR workloads, and the design allows for on-the-go battery replacement (batteries sold separately, charger included) for longer AR/VR sessions.

Although Zotac officially labels its VR Go systems for VR gaming, these wearables are particularly popular among developers of AR, VR, and mixed reality apps and games, as well as those who use AR, VR, and MR software professionally. Perhaps this is the reason why the company chose professional NVIDIA RTX GPUs instead of the usual GeForce RTX GPUs.

Zotac has yet to announce pricing for its new VR Go 4.0 wearables, but we can expect them to be available only to those with the deepest pockets who like to tinker with the new technology. For the rest, it will make more sense to buy dedicated VR glasses (such as the Meta Quest 2 or perhaps the upcoming Quest 3).