PC makers have been showing off PC-in-a-backpack systems designed for virtual reality gaming for a few months. Now you can buy one.
The MSI VR One is now available for purchase in the US, Europe, Japan, Australia, China, and Taiwan.
Newegg is taking orders for $1999 and up and says the VR One should begin shipping November 30th.
The VR One is basically a high-performance gaming desktop stuffed into a case that you can wear like a backpack, allowing you to connect a virtual reality headset like an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive directly to the computer on your back so that you don’t have to worry about tripping over wires as you play.
For $1999 you get a model with an Intel Core i7-6820HK quad-core processor, 16GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, 256GB of solid state storage, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics.
There’s also a $2299 model with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics and 512GB of storage.
Both versions measure 15.9″ x 11.5″ x 2.4″ and weigh about 7.9 pounds, feature HDMI 2.0, mini DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3, and four USB 3.0 ports and include a 230-watt AC adapter and two 8-cell, 90 Whr batteries.
The batteries only offer up to 90 minutes of play time at a stretch, but since the batteries are hot swappable, you can replace a dead battery with a fresh one without stopping to turn off the computer. MSI plans to offer an external battery pack and other accessories in the future.