Microsoft Jumps into the VR Space Amid Other Developments in 3D

Andrew Wheeler posted 2016-10-31

Microsoft held an event in New York on the October 26 and surprised the audience with a bevy of additions to the Windows environment.

Perhaps the most surprising update was the unveiling of Windows 10 Creator's Update, which strongly reinforces the direction that Microsoft has been taking with the design and production of its holographic computer, the Microsoft HoloLens.

Microsoft’s VR headset. To avoid the expense of extra hardware for room-scaling, the headsets are reportedly going to have built-in spatial configuring sensors. (Image courtesy of Microsoft.)

There has been a lot of excitement about the Microsoft HoloLens and its capabilities, but the price tag ($2,999) and lack of applications have kept it out of reach for most (besides some developers). Among the announcements was the integration of HoloLens with the new 3D content creation applications. If you are lucky enough to have access to a HoloLens, you can now use Microsoft Edge browser and grab 3D models from the company’s new online repository and pull them right into the augmented reality (AR) environment.

At the event, Microsoft demoed the new capabilities of the HoloLens with a demo app from the design company Houzz, which allows users to drag and drop different furniture models to see how they would look in their homes.

Microsoft VR Headset

With an air of surprise, Microsoft unveiled partnerships with hardware manufacturers Asus, Dell, Acer, Lenovo and HP to make inexpensive VR headsets that will be priced starting at $300. To avoid the expense of extra hardware for room-scaling, the headsets are reportedly going to have built-in spatial configuring sensors.

There is still so much that remains unknown about Microsoft's VR headset specifications, so there's not much to report. However, I (like our readers) am very curious to see how the company will provide the 6 degrees of freedom that are present in the HoloLens and HTC Vive, for example, without using external sensors. I’m guessing that it probably has something to do with Intel's Project Alloy.

Intel will reveal the hardware requirements as open-source information in the coming year, and the RealSense API will be open to developers and manufacturers so that third-party manufacturers can create headsets of their own that run on Windows 10, with all of its newfangled accoutrements.