HP’s new Nvidia-powered backpack VR PC is designed for work, not play

HP has a new entrant in that most curious PC niche – the backpack computer. A product of the virtual reality computing wave, the backpack PC provides all the power needed to drive high-quality VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but with a form factor that allows the user to roam about untethered. The new HP Z VR Backpack is a bit different from the rest of the field, though, since it’s designed specifically as a workstation.

The HP Z contains an Nvidia Quadro P5200 GPU, and it’s the first time the mobile workstation-class graphics card has been used in a VR backpack to date. The whole outfit weighs in at 10 lbs, and the GPU’s capabilities allow it to run complex simulations and of course power top-end VR experiences, all delivered with cordless performance thanks to a built-in battery.

HP is looking to start shipping the Z VR in September, with a starting price of $3,299 and additional options available for additional spend. It’s also getting a companion dock that allows you to use it more like a traditional desktop for those times when you don’t need to be roaming around immersed in virtual environments.

This whole thing might sound like a bit of a boondoggle, but one of the most interesting potential use cases for VR is actually in engineering and design, where the ability to prototype virtually and make changes prior to creating full-scale physical models can save a lot of time and effort. Companies like Lucid, which is hoping to bring a Tesla Model S competitor to market, are already demonstrating how VR can help cut down on pre-production expense.

The Z VR would also be useful for job training, HP suggests, and for...

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