It was October 2016 when Microsoft announced its initiative to bring mixed reality to the masses. With head-mounted displays (HMDs) from HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, and Acer, the company promised to lower the barrier of entry to virtual reality, with HMDs priced from $299.
But while four of the partners had devices for launch day, ASUS promised that its headset would be coming in early 2018, and it"s finally available for pre-order. If you"re wondering what makes it so special that it had to be delayed by four months, that much is unclear. It has the same specs as the original launch day devices, including two 1440x1440 2.89-inch displays, 90Hz refresh rate, and a 95-degree field of view. Like the other packages, it comes with two Motion Controllers.
The price of the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset is $429, and while that might sound like a lot compared to the promised starting price of $299, it"s worth remembering that Microsoft never actually delivered on that promise. While the developer editions did start at $299, the final consumer models started at $399, likely due to Motion Controllers being included.
They"re all seeing massive discounts on Amazon now though. All of the models except for Samsung"s Odyssey (the only one with better specs than the rest of the pack) coming in at under $300, and some as low as $230.
If you want to check out the ASUS Windows Mixed Reality Headset, you can find it on B&H here. It"s not on the Microsoft Store just yet..