Last October, Microsoft announced that HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, and Acer would be making low-cost virtual reality headsets. Pre-orders for the Developer Editions from Acer and HP kicked off during Microsoft"s Build 2017 developer conference, but as of today, the two head-mounted displays (HMDs) are generally available to everyone.
Unfortunately, the HP model is already out of stock, as it was for the tail end of pre-orders, which means that the only one that you can actually buy now is the one that"s made by Acer (seen above). They don"t seem to be available in any physical Microsoft Stores though, so online is your only option.
Both HMDs have roughly the same specs, with two LCDs at 1440x1440, 2.89-inch display size, 95-degree horizontal field of view, refresh rate of up to 90Hz, a 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI 2.0, and USB 3.0. The HP headset also has a "double padded headband and easy adjustment knob for all day comfort".
Unfortunately, most PCs won"t meet the recommended specifications for the headsets, which include the following:
Operating systems
Windows 10 – Creators Update (Developer Mode enabled)Processor
Desktop: Intel Desktop i7 (6+ Core) OR AMD Ryzen 7 1700 (8-Core, 16 threads)Graphics GPU
Desktop: NVIDIA GTX 980/1060 | AMD Radeon RX 480 (8GB) equivalent or greater | DX12 and WDDM 2.2 capable GPUGraphics drivers
Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.2Thermal design power
15W or greaterHMD connectors
HDMI 1.4 or Display Port 1.2 for 60 Hz HMDs
HDMI 2.0 or Display Port 1.2 for 90 Hz HMDs
1x available graphics display port for HMDResolution
SVGA (800x600)Bit depth
32 bits of color per pixelRAM
16GB or greater
Storage
>10GB additional free space
USB
1x available USB port for HMD
USB 3.0 Type-A
Note: USB must supply a minimum of 900mA
Bluetooth
>Bluetooth 4.0 (for accessory connectivity)
The Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset Developer Edition (yes, that is the full name of the product) will run you $299, and you can find it on the Microsoft Store here. HP"s HMD of the same name costs $329, and when it"s in stock, you"ll be able to find it here.