Microsoft is spending a lot of time talking about ‘mixed reality’ at the moment, developing its own HoloLens product and partnering with the likes of Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and 3Glasses on a wide range of Windows headsets.
This week, the company introduced the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Development Edition headset and announced that the product will start shipping this month as part of Windows Mixed Reality development kits.
The rollout of the dev kits will include the Acer headset, along with access to Windows 10 Insider preview builds and the software development kit (SDK) for developers to start creating their own mixed reality applications.
The news was announced at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, where senior program manager lead Brandon Bray showed off the Windows 10-based device, which boasts “inside-out tracking” meaning no additional trackers or sensors are required.
The Acer headset features two high-resolution liquid crystal displays with 1440 x 1440 pixel resolutions, a display refresh rate up to 90 Hz, built-in audio and microphone support through a 3.5mm jack, along with HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0 connectivity.
“We believe that mixed reality can empower new waves of creativity and should be affordable and attainable for everyone,” said Alex Kipman, technical fellow at Microsoft. “We can’t wait to see what our developer partners build with our expanding platform.”
“Not only will you enjoy spectacular, immersive experiences, but also the things that you do most with your Windows PC – in mixed reality.”
Microsoft’s HoloLens became available in the UK in October, with customers such as Audi, thyssenkrupp, Airbus and NASA all testing out the commercial applications of what is still a relatively new technology.
HoloLens was also on show recently at education technology expo Bett 2017 and the company’s upcoming Windows 10 Creator’s Update is set to include mixed reality features.
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