Microsoft Reveals Minimum PC Hardware Requirements For Upcoming Windows 10 VR Platform

Microsoft recently announced that it will be adding virtual reality support for all Windows 10 PC next year in the Creators Update in 2017 as it prepares to launch its own VR platform. In light of this, Microsoft appears to have settled on some of the PC minimum hardware requirements to support the upcoming feature.

On the latest builds of Windows 10, Microsoft has added an app called the Windows Holographic First Run. The app tests a PC whether its compatible with its VR platform, called Windows Holographic. A user’s machine must have USB 3.0 support, at least 4GB of RAM, a video card that supports DirectX 12 and a processor/CPU with at least four cores, according to The Verge.

The minimum requirements appears to be quite basic, and it looks like Windows 10 PCs bought in the last two years are compatible. Users who only have dual-core (two cores) processors on their PCs should also work as long as it comes with hyper threading. Dual-core CPUs with hyper threading are recognized by Windows as having four cores, according to Engadget.

These are not the final hardware requirements for Microsoft’s Windows Holographic VR platform. The company hasn’t specified processor speeds and the type of graphics cards required. However, it does look like mid-range computers will be able to support Windows Holographic.

Companies like Oculus and HTC have their own VR platforms, and Windows Holographic will be Microsoft’s own. Windows Holographic is based on the same software that powers Microsoft’s HoloLens. The company is also planning to sell its own VR headsets next year and those will have a starting price of just $299.

Microsoft seems to be making a lot of effort in ensuring that virtual reality is accessible to a lot of Windows 10 users. In comparison, the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive requires high-end PCs to work smoothly. In addition, the Rift and Vive headsets are also very expensive.