Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality VR Moves Closer To Launch, Dev Kits Now Available

Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality VR platform was announced in 2015 and has been in the works for some time now.

Strong indications of its launch are now surfacing with the company revealing Mixed Reality developer kits made by Acer and HP at its BUILD 2017 Conference Thursday.

While Acer’s kit costs $299 while the one of HP costs $329. Both come with two 1440 x 1440p LCD displays, with a 95-degree field-of-view, 90 Hertz built-in audio, a 3.5mm jack for mics, an HDMI 2.0 cable and USB 3.0.

The only difference between the two is the HP developer kit comes with a double-padded headband, akin to Oculus Rift. To use the headsets you will need a powerful PC — at least an Intel Core i7 processor, a NVIDIA GTX 980 or AMD Radeon RX 480 GPU and 16GB RAM.

Read: Mixed Reality On Xbox One, Project Scorpio? Microsoft's MR Headsets Reportedly Coming To Consoles In 2018

The release of the Mixed Reality developer kits marks an important step for the technology’s launch since developers will now be able to develop content for the platform. Not just that, it will open up the technology to headsets made by other manufacturers — its HoloLens is very expensive compared to headsets such as PSVR.

Microsoft’s technology, which was originally developed for use on its high-end HoloLens headset, is touted to be the most advanced VR technology currently out there, since it incorporates real world elements into a virtual environment.

It creates virtual holograms integrated with real world visuals. Think of it as a reality-virtuality conundrum, which makes it seem like changes are happening in the real world, while it is actually happening only in the virtual world.

“Mixed reality is the result of blending the physical world with the digital world. Mixed reality is the next evolution in human, computer, and environment interaction and unlocks possibilities that before now were restricted to our imaginations. It is made possible by advancements in computer vision, graphical processing power, display technology, and input systems,” the company stated on its developer page.

Read: Microsoft Announces Motion Controllers For Mixed Reality Headsets At Build 2017

The technology will be available for PCs in 2017 and will also be featured on the company’s upcoming Xbox One Project Scorpio gaming console. Since the technology does not limit the wearer’s real-time vision, it has many applications that can be used for purposes other than gaming and entertainment, which have been the footholds of VR up till now.

The technology is being used for advanced applications such as military technology — a Ukrainian company has designed a circular review system, which uses the technology to provide feeds to generate a 360-degree view for soldiers.

In addition to the developer kits, Microsoft also announced Mixed Reality Motion controllers made by Acer. The controllers will provide users a full range of motion for apps and games. It also hired 343 Studio head Dan Ayoub on Thursday, the man behind Halo, to develop the platform further.