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Microsoft doubled down on its commitment to what it called \u201cmixed reality\u201d today at its Build developer conference, revealing motion controllers that work closely with VR headsets from Acer. With a $399 bundle containing all you need coming later this year, it could be one of the more affordable ways out there to get into the VR game.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen Acer\u2019s headset before \u2014 it was notable at the time that it used built-in cameras to both track objects and its own position in a room, HoloLens-style. That capability also powers the controllers \u2014 it\u2019s called \u201cinside-out,\u201d by the way, as opposed to \u201coutside-in,\u201d which uses sensors in the room to track the device and headset.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese motion controllers were perfectly designed to work with our mixed reality headsets,\u201d said Microsoft\u2019s Alex Kipman on stage at the conference. \u201cIf you can see your hands, we\u2019re tracking them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Microsoft claims you\u2019ll get sub-millimeter precision without complex setups like IR blasters or in-room cameras \u2014 it\u2019s all in the headset and the controllers themselves.<\/p>\n Developers have two headsets to choose from \u2014 a $300 Acer one and a $329 HP one, both of which you can order today. But if you\u2019re smart, you\u2019ll wait a little bit for the bundle coming this holiday season that includes a pair of controllers for $399 all day. That makes it cheaper than either Oculus or Vive \u2014 especially so with the latter.<\/p>\n Whether the headset and tracking are up to those standards, however, is another question. Hands-on experiences with the headsets have produced mixed impressions, and the controllers aren\u2019t available for testing just yet. So while we can be happy that there\u2019s an easy, relatively inexpensive way to jump into VR on Windows, it might be best to withhold judgment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/windows-mixed-reality-acer-bundle.jpg\")
<\/a>That is to say, as long as your hands are in the field of view of the headset, they\u2019re being tracked optically by the cameras on the front. The controllers themselves have rings of LEDs that provide six degrees of freedom; there\u2019s also a trigger, thumbstick, and a tiny trackpad a la the Steam controller. They look a bit like the Oculus Touch controllers, but the \u201choop\u201d doesn\u2019t loop around your hand.<\/p>\n Microsoft doubled down on its commitment to what it called “mixed reality” today at its Build developer conference, revealing motion controllers that work closely with VR headsets from Acer. With a $399 bundle containing all you need coming later this year, it could be one of the more affordable ways out there to get into the VR game. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n