Microsoft announces VR headsets made by PC manufacturers

Microsoft isn’t alone now in making some real development in the field of virtual reality. Yes, it’s got its own augmented reality visor that costs way more than average consumers can afford. But it takes more than just that to even get involved in the ecosystem that the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR has been dominating so far.

Microsoft’s answer to this: get some hardware manufacturers to make Windows 10 supported PCs. This was the case in terms of PCs and now some VR headsets will get the same treatment from Microsoft.

The executive vice-president of Windows and Devices, Terry Myerson, was the one who announced that Microsoft is partnering with HP, Lenovo, Dell, Asus and Acer to make VR headsets that are compatible with the Windows 10 Creator’s Update.

What’s a Windows 10 Creator’s Update?

The Creator’s Update will give users new features like:

• 3D version of MS Paint
• AR/VR accessible community library if 3D creations

The community library will be available for the HoloLens and the upcoming Microsoft-supported VR headsets. The Creator’s Update will arrive in Spring of next year on all Windows 10 devices free of charge.

How about the new VR headsets?

According to Terry Myerson, “These headsets will be the first and only to ship with inside-out, 6-degrees of freedom sensors. Unlike every other VR headset on the market today, it means there’ll be zero reason for a separate room, zero need for a complicated setup, and while those less immersive accessories today cost over $500—most of the time requiring a new, expensive device, we are announcing today that these Creator’s Update accessories start at just $299.”

No clear list of specifications that these cheaper virtual reality headsets will be trying to achieve or whether they will incorporate some form of true positional tracking or not, as ‘6-degrees of freedom, inside-out’ doesn’t quite cut the mustard when it comes to determining exactly what sort of room-scale ability the headsets will have, computer vision-based or otherwise. If Microsoft is aiming for the lower end of the PC hardware spectrum however, we’re sure to see lower screen resolutions at the very least.