Skip to main content

Asus, Dell, Lenovo show off Windows Mixed Reality headsets at Computex

Microsoft showed off Windows Mixed Reality headsets from HP and Acer at Build 2017 earlier this month. Now, the company has unveiled headsets designed by Dell, Asus, and Lenovo at Computex 2017.

The offering from Asus certainly has the look of next-generation technology, with an unusual polygonal cover panel that’s sure to help the headset stand out from the crowd. The company has apparently collaborated with Microsoft to ensure that its device is fast, powerful, and ultralight, according to a post on the Windows blog.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Meanwhile, Dell’s sleek white headset is being billed as an “affordable” entry point into mixed reality for users who have been put off by the price tags associated with the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. It’s been designed with comfort in mind, and boasts such features as customizable cushioning, a convenient flip-up visor, and cable routing to ensure that stray wires don’t interfere with usage.

Recommended Videos

The device was designed by the same team responsible for the company’s high-end XPS and Alienware PCs. Dell’s Windows Mixed Reality headset is expected to be available this holiday season.

Finally, there’s Lenovo’s headset, which doesn’t make any great leaps in terms of its aesthetics, but may well prove to be a huge success as a result of its pricing. This device is described as “incredibly affordable,” so it will likely serve as the baseline for the Windows Mixed Reality headset range.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The headset boasts sensors that facilitate inside-out tracking and streamline the set-up process, making it easier for users to jump right into experiences that require some real-world movement. The device is expected to be made available before the end of 2017.

While HoloLens is still a priority for Microsoft, Windows Mixed Reality represents that company’s ambition to make virtual reality and augmented reality accessible to all users. The idea of a clearly defined platform with close ties to the Windows ecosystem will likely be a huge draw for developers, so while there are still valid concerns about the future of the initiative, it could prove to have a sizable impact when these headsets and others are made available later in the year.

Brad Jones
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Apple mixed-reality headset will reportedly launch in ‘the next several months’
history of virtual reality daydream vr

Rumors that Apple is working on a top-secret mixed-reality headset have exploded in recent months. Excitingly, they just got another boost from reputable reporter Mark Gurman, who claims Apple will unveil the device at an in-person event within “the next several months.”

In a newsletter discussing Apple’s future Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) events, Gurman wrote: “Sometime in the next several months, the company is poised to announce a mixed-reality headset, its first major new device since 2015. If possible, Apple won't want to make such a critical announcement at an online event. It wants employees, the media, its partners, and developers in the room.”

Read more
Apple’s mixed reality headset could be half the weight of other headsets
A woman reaching out while wearing a VR headset.

 

Recent reports have indicated Apple is keen to get in on the smart headset game with a mixed reality device that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) with a dozen built-in cameras and sensors. Now, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is working on giving its headset a key advantage over rivals.

Read more
A coding blunder just ruined a moment of joy for lottery winners
Eurojackpot lottery slips.

Imagine the joy of being notified of a huge lottery win. What would be the first thing you’d do? Get the champagne in? Book a fancy vacation? Call your boss and tell him where to go?

And then imagine being informed that the notification had, in fact, been sent in error. Well, you can always send the booze back and cancel the holiday, but trying to convince your boss that you were just joking ... well, that may be a bigger challenge.

Read more