Windows Mixed Reality Releasing October 17th

[ProfessorUtopia]

Public availability of Microsoft's take on VR is just over 6 weeks away. With 5 major brands expected to release HMDs this year, coupled with support for Steam content, does MS have a shot at this market?

Though apparently not achieving the titular "Mixed Reality" at launch (at least not from what I've seen so far), the platform does offer some notable advantages versus the Vive and Rift:

• There will be functionality targeted to both (relatively) low-end PCs and systems with "discrete graphics". (No word on official system requirements, yet.)
• Setup, as well as transportability, is made immensely simpler by the lack of need for external motion sensors; tracking is achieved using a simplified version of the HoloLens' "inside-out" spatial tracking.
• The launch price of the hardware will be much lower than that of HTC and Oculus' HMDs at their time of their respective debuts, and on-par with their current prices.

Here’s Microsoft’s overview, including pics of all but the just-announced ASUS HMD.

I had intended to wait for "Second Generation" headsets before diving into VR, but the temptation is getting harder to resist. If Windows Mixed Reality delivers a respectable gaming experience, it might be just enough to push me over the edge.

 

[lostinseganet]

I want final fantasy 7 remake in VR. The one that gets that working will get my money....I can wait.

 

[Transient]

I want final fantasy 7 remake in VR. The one that gets that working will get my money....I can wait.

That would be cool, although I imagine it would need a full remake as the worlds aren't really 3D. I would love to see some VR summons though!

 

[NamelessPFG]

The real question is how well those motion controllers can be tracked when the HMD *can't* see them - behind your shoulder, for instance.

You might not think that sounds critical, but Robo Recall, Onward and Raw Data already require the player to reach toward their shoulders or hips for things like gun holsters, or in Onward's case, the knife/radio (shoulder) or tablet map (behind the back). Having all this stuff in a consistent location on one's virtual body is critical for how these games work.

On top of that, SUPERHOT VR even has an achievement for shooting an enemy you weren't looking at.

If Microsoft doesn't have an answer to that, then these new HMDs won't make much of a dent in the Rift and Vive market for gaming.

 

[ProfessorUtopia]

The real question is how well those motion controllers can be tracked when the HMD *can't* see them - behind your shoulder, for instance.

Initial reports sound promising in that regard.

 

[Hagrid]

I hope that the Windows OS doesn't suddenly make all other VR systems not work or work badly.......

They are late to the game, but it's so new that you never know what can happen.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Initial reports sound promising in that regard.

All I saw in that video was Space Pirate Trainer, though, which I don't think has the "inventory on body" thing a lot of other VR shooters do, and it's also concentrated on the 180 degrees in front of you gameplay-wise.

At least the tracking seems fine if the HMD can see the controllers.

I hope that the Windows OS doesn't suddenly make all other VR systems not work or work badly.......

They are late to the game, but it's so new that you never know what can happen.

This is no different from the Forte VFX1/Virtual i-O i-glasses! VPC/Victor CyberMaxx competition in the '90s, really. Some early games only worked with VFX1 (System Shock being one of the more prominent examples), but most later games supported all three.

Or, for an example more PC enthusiasts are likely to be familiar with: 3dfx Glide, Rendition RRedline, PowerVR SGL, ATI3DCIF, S3 MeTaL, whatever NVIDIA used on the NV1 and its quad-based architecture... yeah, remember all those proprietary 3D accelerator APIs before Direct3D and OpenGL took over? We're already going through that all over again with Oculus (who wasn't afraid to completely break backwards compatibility in the DK1/DK2 days), SteamVR, and now Microsoft.

 

[dan1]

MS is non stop fail in the consumer market. Windows is a dead end for the future. They have no consumer or mobile play so they will do half assed things they can.

 

[Ruffy]

MS is non stop fail in the consumer market. Windows is a dead end for the future. They have no consumer or mobile play so they will do half assed things they can.

So? The more companies in this market the better. We WANT competition.