Acer And HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset Dev Kits Now Available For Preorder

by Brandon Hill — Thursday, May 11, 2017, 02:19 PM EDT

If you’ve been itchin’ to get your hands on new [relatively] affordable mixed reality hardware designed for Windows 10 PCs, the wait is nearly over. Microsoft today at Build 2017 announced that preorders are open for Windows Mixed Reality headset dev kits from Hewlett-Packard and Acer.

Both of the headsets use “inside-out tracking", negating the need for external cameras or IR emitters, and provide six degrees of freedom in mixed reality environments. “You’ll be ready to code new mixed reality experiences out of box with a headset and a Windows 10 Creator’s Update PC that meets our recommended hardware specifications for developers,” Microsoft explains to developers.

“We invite developers to join the Windows Insider program to receive the latest mixed reality experiences from Microsoft each week.”

The Windows Mixed Reality headsets both feature dual 1440x1440 displays with a 95-degree horizontal field of view. Each headset also supports a refresh rate 90Hz, and connects to a PC using a single combo HDMI 2.0/USB 3.0 cable that measures 4 meters in length. This cable is attached on the Acer unit, and is detachable on the Hewlett-Packard unit.

For developers, Microsoft is recommending stout system specs including either hexa-core (or greater) Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 (or greater) and at least 16GB of RAM.

The Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset Developer Edition is priced at $299, while the HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset Developer Edition is priced at $329. Both are available now for preorder in via the Microsoft Store and will ship this summer.

Be sure to check out our additional Build 2017 coverage, including the announcement of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Tags: Acer, Windows 10, (nasdaq:msft), hewlettpackard, windows mixed reality

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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