Microsoft Announces Dell, Asus, and Lenovo’s Mixed Reality Headsets

With Virtual Reality still trying to gain traction, there have been a number of games and peripherals/accessories created to make VR gaming easier and more convenient. Aside from isolating the player from their environment by simulating anything from wizard warfare to playing pub games, there are the headsets that utilize the player’s current environment to produce visuals that the user can interact with. These are called Mixed Reality headsets. There are a number of developers of these headsets like HP and Acer. Now, Asus, Lenovo, and Dell will be developing their own MR headsets.

Dell’s MR headset focuses primarily on comfort while delivering the sleek white design at an ‘affordable consumer’ price. The Dell headset is said to be released by the end of the year which is a great time if they want it to fall into some Christmas lists.

The Asus MR headset will be their newest edition next to their ROG (Republic of Gamers) Oculus Ready headset. The headset features an adjustable head-strap primed for ergonomics and the ability to set up with one hand. The cover panel displays a polygonal design to give it a nice edge.

Lenovo’s MR headset features a basic black design but simple enough that it would probably make it to the top of my list (regarding the three). Not too much has been revealed about this headset aside from the fact that the headset will be released later this year.

This is a huge step for altered reality. For those unwilling to completely separate themselves from the real world and prefer being able to see the chair they would have tripped over while using a VR headset, the MR headsets offer a similar experience by simply mixing the digital and tangible world. Perhaps, this could someday be used and powered by a smartphone. This could lead to a re-birth of Pokemon Go as players will be able to walk by all the Rattatas they end up ignoring anyway.