2016 has seen several consumer VR headsets being showcased, from the HTC Vive Pre to the Oculus Rift. However, in order to run VR headsets, a powerful GPU must be present as well. Hence, the GTX 980 Ti VR Edition by EVGA. This graphics card is primarily aimed at those who are planning to get VR headsets when they are released.
Now, of course, a normal GTX 980 Ti or even a standard GTX 970 is sufficient enough to power VR headsets, but EVGA brings something different with its VR edition graphics card. EVGA claims that its newest graphics card will be the first ever graphics card to come with a “VR-Ready” HDMI output that can be found at the included 5.2-inch optical bay slot.
By using the GTX 980 Ti VR Edition and the included optical bay slot, consumers using VR headsets will have better access to the HDMI port without having to connect the headset through the back of a PC case. This will theoretically allow VR gamers to have more freedom while moving around.
However, the included optical bay along with the GTX 980 Ti VR Edition seems like an afterthought when knowing that it only has two USB 3.0 and one HDMI ports. The consumer-ready version of the Oculus Rift needs three USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 ports to be able to run. Fortunately, EVGA hasn’t made the GTX 980 Ti VR Edition available yet, so it’s very likely that it will look into providing more USB slots in the optical drive bay in the future.
(Source: ComputerBase , VideoCardz)
