Windows News and info 15th Anniversary 2009-2024
Giants in Tech => Microsoft => Topic started by: javajolt on October 29, 2016, 05:51:21 AM
-
(http://i65.tinypic.com/qp1czs.jpg)
3D may have been the focal point of Microsoft’s event this week, but the company also made an important announcement regarding VR headsets that it will facilitate third-party OEMs to launch.
These are expected to start retailing at $299 — a rather enticing price point.
For many, the fact that Microsoft convinced HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and ASUS to develop and launch a new portfolio of headsets that are much cheaper than other solutions available on the market was quite surprising.
More so, when you consider the investments the company is making in its holographic platform.
For what it was worth, Redmond did not do a good job of providing more details on these upcoming third-party headsets and its overall VR push. However, Polygon published an interview with Alex Kipman, the man behind HoloLens, to talk about this change in direction.
According to the executive, Microsoft is right now all-in on mixed reality, as the company considers full VR experiences are more isolating to users.
It does not bring humans and objects into the environment, and on top of that, these types of devices are still very expensive. One needs a beefy computer and then invest more on a headset to get started with this field.
And as the company explained (http://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/10/26/ten-things-we-announced-today-at-microsofts-windows-10-event/#8jatI7Z0DiEMwHAK.97) partners will soon bring more affordable VR solutions to the market, and in terms of technical details, these will need to be tethered to a PC running the Windows 10 Creators Update to work.
Additionally, while these are not standalone devices, these accessories would pack more sensors than existing VR headsets who need to be tethered with external sensors.
Anyway, getting back to Kipman, he revealed that a $500 PC will be powerful enough to use these headsets, which is quite a bit lower than, say $1,500 computer that is required for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
All things considered, though, Microsoft HoloLens will still remain a more advanced solution in many ways, the highest watermark by a margin in how it is the first and only self-contained holographic computer.
Redmond has also promised to share more details on these VR headsets at an event in December.
source:windows10update