Microsoft has announced a new line of VR headsets it's developing in partnership with multiple hardware companies. Starting at $299, the headsets themselves will be created by manufacturers like Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer and will ship in 2017.
This has the potential to bring an entirely new audience to PC-based virtual reality that may have been kept away by high hardware costs in the past.
In addition to selling for a significantly lower price than headsets like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, Microsoft says the headsets won’t require external accessories to work or to track movement.
“These headsets will be the first and only to ship with inside-out six-degree-of-freedom sensors. Unlike every other VR headset on the market today, this means there will be zero need for a separate room. Zero need for a complicated setup,” said Terry Myerson at Microsoft’s press event earlier today.
The company didn’t divulge any additional details on the range of technical specifications or the capabilities of the impending headset line, but did say that its entry in the VR market will release in Spring 2017 alongside Windows Creator’s Update, which includes a 3D version of Paint and other tools created with artists in mind.