Valve Corp. recently demonstrated a prototype of its new virtual reality (VR) headset called the Dota 2.
The prototype was demonstrated at the Boston VR Bender, where one attendee said the headset lets users watch a game on a tabletop or get a first-person view of the action, according to Polygon.
"Talking with the Valve guys about the Portal office experience, they mentioned offhandedly that they have a Dota 2 VR experience where you see the entire game arena sitting on a table in front of you and can bend down to inspect any piece of the action," Reddit user jonomf wrote. "I really, really want to see that. They also mentioned a life-size Dota 2 VR experience where you're hanging out in a lane watching the heroes fight; they said it was very scary."
The Dota 2 is covered with dots that let the tabletop camera track the location of the headset. Users say that there are two screens on the inside of the device. However, some parts of the screens in the prototype are not visible, TechCrunch reported.
The video game giant demonstrated its VR headset to developers earlier this year, and is facing competition in the market from Sony's PS4 headset and Facebook's Oculus VR.
The device appears bulkier than the Oculus Rift DK2. It includes a front panel that drops down to the user's mouth. The dual vertical displays in the headset create a resolution of 2160 x 1280 pixels, Tom's Guide reported.
The Reddit user added that the headset provided "low persistence, perfect tracking [and a] very high frame rate." He said his only problem with the device was experiencing some physical disorientation after taking the headset off.
Valve reportedly said during the Steam Dev Days earlier this year that it believes its virtual technology will be available to consumers in two years, Polygon reported.
The company said Oculus is "the obvious candidate" for shipping VR products invested by Valve. The two companies worked together on the prototype for the Crystal Cove headset. Valve and Oculus will continue to work with one another on VR technology.
