A portable desktop VR challenge

[EZWalk]

With all of the CES VR talk I was wondering if there was a way to turn my desktop into a semi portable desktop to run a VR headset without tripping over cables. I think that between all of the great people on these forums we could design a great alternative to needing someone to manage cables while you play your game.

 

Some of the Hurdles I have thought of already:

Battery life

Weight

No HDDs

cooling

durability

 

Please post with any ideas I think this could be a really cool project for a lot of tinkerers and Luke should do another build log for it.

[Guest Kloaked]

There isn't anything available right now to make something like that and it be feasible.

[manikyath]

There isn't anything available right now to make something like that and it be feasible.

eh, it depends how long you want to game for, and how strong your back is.

[Guest Kloaked]

eh, it depends how long you want to game for, and how strong your back is.

 

Like I said, there isn't anything available currently to make this type of thing feasible.

[manikyath]

Like I said, there isn't anything available currently to make this type of thing feasible.

li-ions actually dont weigh that much, if you consider today's high school backpacks feasible, portable VR is also feasible.

[Guest Kloaked]

li-ions actually dont weigh that much, if you consider today's high school backpacks feasible, portable VR is also feasible.

 

I don't care who you are. Wearing something like that for hours is going to mess your back up. It's not feasible.

 

It's not just the battery, it's every other component. It's not feasible.

[SirSquid]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bHkx4D

 

that part list and a custom backpack should handle some VR games

[manikyath]

I don't care who you are. Wearing something like that for hours is going to mess your back up. It's not feasible.

 

It's not just the battery, it's every other component. It's not feasible.

well, i agree with you, belgian education doesnt.

 

that said, you're wiping it off the table WAY too quickly, think of that msi laptop with the mechanical keyboard, add a bunch of extra battery cells to that, and thats roughly the hardware you need. heavy? yes. impossibly heavy? no.

 

that said, have you seen military training?

[Guest Kloaked]

well, i agree with you, belgian education doesnt.

 

that said, you're wiping it off the table WAY too quickly, think of that msi laptop with the mechanical keyboard, add a bunch of extra battery cells to that, and thats roughly the hardware you need. heavy? yes. impossibly heavy? no.

 

that said, have you seen military training?

 

What gamer has military training? What gamer has gone through the physical training that the military have and didn't give up?

 

Let me word that differently: what gamer WANTS to go through that?

 

This whole thing is laughable. I don't even know why you're trying to make it look like it's something that everyone can do. There's no way someone would play like that and enjoy it.

[Gumi Rokkaku]

The only solution I can think of would be throwing an ITX system in a backpack.
But then how would you power it?

[Guest Kloaked]

The only solution I can think of would be throwing an ITX system in a backpack.

But then how would you power it?

 

You don't, because no one would carry that shit for their whole gaming session.

[Gumi Rokkaku]

You don't, because no one would carry that shit for their whole gaming session.

Stop being so negative dude.

[Guest Kloaked]

Stop being so negative dude.

 

I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic.

[Andrew Storlie]

So the plan is... build a backpack with a high end itx build (6700k and 980ti), 2 car batteries, a 800w ac inverter and all the cables needed... i guess parents wont have fat kids living in there basment anymore... soon we will have superstrong mini hulk virgins running around our streets wearing vr headsets getting hit by cars and suing oculus for not having the detection equipment to stop them from running in from of a car.... very smart idea

[manikyath]

What gamer has military training? What gamer has gone through the physical training that the military have and didn't give up?

 

Let me word that differently: what gamer WANTS to go through that?

 

This whole thing is laughable. I don't even know why you're trying to make it look like it's something that everyone can do. There's no way someone would play like that and enjoy it.

you look down upon gamers a lot, if even bronies make it into the army, i think COD players have a fair chance as well.

(no hate for bronies, you guys just dontquite have a public image that fits the army usually )

i'm not saying its something everyone can do, i'm saying that its possible and something to consider, however big the challenges may be.

 

example: my gaming rig with a MASSIVE tower cooler, and some other heavy stuff weighs about 20kg. 12kg of that is the case, so 8kg of hardware remains.

lets just say a VR system under load will pull 600 watts from the "wall", adding about 1kg for a decent inverter (they really arent weighty anymore) puts us at 9kg plus batteries.

 

now, how long will we do VR for? lets say 4 hours, since i doubt anyone is gonna go longer than this without a break, or that there is really anything that you're gonna be doing for 4 hours. 4 hours times 600 watts = 2400Wh, the most common li-ion "laptop cell" is 2.6Ah, at 3.7 volts. if we get a 12 volt inverter (these have quite some play in voltage) we could put 4 cells in series to get the required voltage, ending up at 12 volts (roughly) and 2.6Ah AKA 31.2Wh per set of 4.

this requires us to get 77 sets of 4 to get the required battery life, ending up at 308 batteries for a total weight of 11kg.

thats where it gets interesting, because that ends up at a total weight of 20kg - which is twice of what my high school backpack was on an average day. those 11kg of li-ion cells can (and should for heat reasons) be spread out across your body pretty easily.

 

while thats a DAMN lot of weight, it is far from the optimal configuration, and still much closer than most people think we are.

[manikyath]

The only solution I can think of would be throwing an ITX system in a backpack.

But then how would you power it?

the bodge solution would be li-ion batteries into an inverter into a power supply.

 

the less "carrying dead weight" way would be to have a custom power supply, much like in a laptop.

[EZWalk]

My school backpack weighs about 15-20 pounds. I definitely think we could build a computer within that weight limit. Also Kloaked if you think it is such a bad idea there are plenty of other threads that you can check out.

[EZWalk]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bHkx4D

 

that part list and a custom backpack should handle some VR games

I think this build is great! I saw on another forum someone suggested a T series CPU, could that drop the TDP of the system enough to use a PSU like Luke did in the fallout 4 bomb build?

 

In this build I looked at all of the weights...

GPU - 2.55lbs

Heatsink - 1lbs

MOBO ~ 1.5lbs

PSU - 3.09lbs

everything else ~ 2lbs

TOTAL: about 9.5lbs

 

I don't know about you but that is pretty "feasible" especially with some weight distribution with the batteries. Lastly, I have noticed that I don't really play games for more than 2 hours at a time. Please let me know how long you play for between breaks and any other ideas you have.

[SirSquid]

I think this build is great! I saw on another forum someone suggested a T series CPU, could that drop the TDP of the system enough to use a PSU like Luke did in the fallout 4 bomb build?

 

In this build I looked at all of the weights...

GPU - 2.55lbs

Heatsink - 1lbs

MOBO ~ 1.5lbs

PSU - 3.09lbs

everything else ~ 2lbs

TOTAL: about 9.5lbs

 

I don't know about you but that is pretty "feasible" especially with some weight distribution with the batteries. Lastly, I have noticed that I don't really play games for more than 2 hours at a time. Please let me know how long you play for between breaks and any other ideas you have.

get a camping backpack, if you get an external frame (the ones where you can see the metal) you can hold 1/3 of your weight with out getting tired.

[EZWalk]

you look down upon gamers a lot, if even bronies make it into the army, i think COD players have a fair chance as well.

(no hate for bronies, you guys just dontquite have a public image that fits the army usually )

i'm not saying its something everyone can do, i'm saying that its possible and something to consider, however big the challenges may be.

 

example: my gaming rig with a MASSIVE tower cooler, and some other heavy stuff weighs about 20kg. 12kg of that is the case, so 8kg of hardware remains.

lets just say a VR system under load will pull 600 watts from the "wall", adding about 1kg for a decent inverter (they really arent weighty anymore) puts us at 9kg plus batteries.

 

now, how long will we do VR for? lets say 4 hours, since i doubt anyone is gonna go longer than this without a break, or that there is really anything that you're gonna be doing for 4 hours. 4 hours times 600 watts = 2400Wh, the most common li-ion "laptop cell" is 2.6Ah, at 3.7 volts. if we get a 12 volt inverter (these have quite some play in voltage) we could put 4 cells in series to get the required voltage, ending up at 12 volts (roughly) and 2.6Ah AKA 31.2Wh per set of 4.

this requires us to get 77 sets of 4 to get the required battery life, ending up at 308 batteries for a total weight of 11kg.

thats where it gets interesting, because that ends up at a total weight of 20kg - which is twice of what my high school backpack was on an average day. those 11kg of li-ion cells can (and should for heat reasons) be spread out across your body pretty easily.

 

while thats a DAMN lot of weight, it is far from the optimal configuration, and still much closer than most people think we are.

I have an FX 9590 which if you are unfamiliar is very overkill for gaming and pulls 220w under max load at 5.5ghz. The recomended GPU for the oculus is a gtx 970 which has a TDP of 125W if you used a i5 4690 (TDP 84w) both of those together plus a little extra is 350W. Am i missing anything or can we use fewer batteries for less weight, heat and cost. Thanks for the help.

[EZWalk]

I am working on a CAD model of a case that you could put some straps on and use as a backpack. I will be able to manufacture this when I finish and will post pictures when I get there. If you have any ideas for it please let me know. As of right now I am thinking a low-profile rectangle with a door like panel above the mobo and a window above the CPU with holes for a stock cooler or any small heatsink (does anyone know of 80mm water cooling options) I was thinking of hot swappable battery banks underneath the main computer but it might be smarter to put some on the front. Cable management straps on the outside which has long slots for better air flow.