Five big name companies to release VR Headsets

Virtual Reality is here to stay. With the advent of the PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Occulus Rift, more technology giants are set to be getting in on the act. The new products will be compatible with the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update for PCs and releasing in 2017.At a Windows press conference in New York on Wednesday, Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, showcased the future for the Virtual Reality world, announcing new hardware coming from HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS and ACER, all of which will be running with the new Windows update for PCs.

• Andrew Jenkins
• October 27, 2016
• in Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality is here to stay. With the advent of the PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Occulus Rift, more technology giants are set to be getting in on the act. The new products will be compatible with the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update for PCs and releasing in 2017.

At a Windows press conference in New York on Wednesday, Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, showcased the future for the Virtual Reality world, announcing new hardware coming from HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS and ACER, all of which will be running with the new Windows update for PCs.

The retail starting price for the new units will be $299, much in the same price range of currently available headsets. He did however boast that the new headsets will feature “Inside Out Tracking” which eliminates the need for external sensors that are used for the PSVR, HTC Vive and Occulus Rift. This puts the price of the new equipment below that of those that are on the market today.

Microsoft is working on their own version of reality altering headset as well. The HoloLens augmented reality headset is presently available for developers, and costs around $3000. At the moment, there are no firm plans for when to release a consumer edition.

It has not been made clear if the third-party headsets will be used for gaming, but given the expanding nature of this industry, it would surely prove to be more financially expedient to have games as a core function.