Here Are Microsoft’s Minimum PC Requirements For Windows 10 VR Headsets
Microsoft recently announced a collaboration with several third-party hardware makers to bring affordable virtual reality (VR) headsets to Windows 10 starting at $299. These new VR headsets will be compatible with Windows Holographic, a VR shell for Windows 10 that will be included in the Creator's Update (Redstone 2), shipping to Windows 10 PCs in Spring. Microsoft plans to offer up more specifics in December, though we now know what the minimum system requirements for these headsets will look like courtesy of the company's Windows Insider program.
Windows Insiders subscribed to the Fast ring can download and install build 14971, a new version that includes a "Windows Holographic First Run" app that examines PCs for compatibility with the upcoming VR headsets. It doesn't actually detect unreleased headsets yet, but it does look for the following minimum system requirements in order to use them:
A certain amount of storage space is also required, though that isn't made clear by the app—it just tells users if they have enough storage or not. In addition, Windows Holographic may work with dual-core chips that have Hyperthreading. Some have noticed that their dual-core CPUs with Hyper Threading pass the test because Task Manager shows four cores.
Either way it doesn't look like Windows Holographic is going to be all that demanding from a resource standpoint. That's good news for consumes, especially since the headsets themselves will cost several hundred dollars less than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. That's sort of an apples to oranges comparison, but the point is that getting into VR is about to become much more accessible, and that in turn could propel the category forward for all involved.
Windows Insiders subscribed to the Fast ring can download and install build 14971, a new version that includes a "Windows Holographic First Run" app that examines PCs for compatibility with the upcoming VR headsets. It doesn't actually detect unreleased headsets yet, but it does look for the following minimum system requirements in order to use them:
- 4GB RAM
- USB 3.0 support
- DirectX 12 compatible GPU
- Four CPU processing cores
A certain amount of storage space is also required, though that isn't made clear by the app—it just tells users if they have enough storage or not. In addition, Windows Holographic may work with dual-core chips that have Hyperthreading. Some have noticed that their dual-core CPUs with Hyper Threading pass the test because Task Manager shows four cores.
Either way it doesn't look like Windows Holographic is going to be all that demanding from a resource standpoint. That's good news for consumes, especially since the headsets themselves will cost several hundred dollars less than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. That's sort of an apples to oranges comparison, but the point is that getting into VR is about to become much more accessible, and that in turn could propel the category forward for all involved.
