Windows Mixed Reality Dev Kits out for Pre-Order, No external cameras or tracking

[WMGroomAK]

At the Build 2017 event today, Microsoft has announced that pre-orders are open for the Windows Mixed Reality development kits from Acer and HP today as well as a bundle kit from Acer that includes motion controllers.  From Hot Hardware:

http://hothardware.com/news/acer-and-hp-windows-mixed-reality-headset-dev-kits-now-available-for-preorder

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Both of the headsets use “inside-out tracking", negating the need for external cameras or IR emitters, and provide six degrees of freedom in mixed reality environments. “You’ll be ready to code new mixed reality experiences out of box with a headset and a Windows 10 Creator’s Update PC that meets our recommended hardware specifications for developers,” Microsoft explains to developers. 

“We invite developers to join the Windows Insider program to receive the latest mixed reality experiences from Microsoft each week.”

 

The Windows Mixed Reality headsets both feature dual 1440x1440 displays with a 95-degree horizontal field of view. Each headset also supports a refresh rate 90Hz, and connects to a PC using a single combo HDMI 2.0/USB 3.0 cable that measures 4 meters in length. This cable is attached on the Acer unit, and is detachable on the Hewlett-Packard unit.

As far as hardware specs that Microsoft is recommending for developers, they say you should have a hexa-core or greater Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor, GTX 1060 or RX480 or greater and at least 16 GB RAM system.  In addition to the headsets, Acer is also releasing a bundle that includes Motion Controllers.

http://techreport.com/news/31891/windows-mixed-reality-gets-motion-controllers-and-a-399-bundle

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In an interesting twist, there's no need for extra tracking hardware like the Oculus trackers or the Vive lighthouses. The WMR headsets themselves include optical sensors that will pick up the position and orientation of the motion controllers, thanks to the array of lights encircling them. While the concept is convenient and simple, there's no telling what'll happen if the user's hands aren't in front of the headset. The controllers have trigger buttons, a thumbstick, and a circular touchpad.

As far as pricing goes, the Acer headset will run you $299.00 or $399.00 for the bundle with the controllers and the HP headset is priced at: $329.00.  It's nice to see that these development kits will appear to be reasonably priced although how well it works without the external cameras or IR emitters may be a factor, especially with the Acer controllers appearing to require some kind of line of sight with their headset.  

 

[The Benjamins]

can we use it to play VR games, those price points are nice and the resolution is great for the price.

[aubryscully]

neato

[WMGroomAK]

5 minutes ago, The Benjamins said:

can we use it to play VR games, those price points are nice and the resolution is great for the price.

I'm hoping so, but I'm doubting it would work straight out of the box with existing VR titles due to the tracking mechanisms being built into the headset as opposed to being separate cameras or trackers.  Hopefully it is only an easy coding fix for existing titles as it does appear to hit a sweet price point for the VR hardware as well as the system hardware.