Windows Mixed Reality Developer Kits Shipping This Month
By Alex Kipman
At Microsoft, we’re building Windows 10 to be the most complete platform across the broadest range of mixed reality devices and experiences. We believe that mixed reality can empower new waves of creativity and should be affordable and attainable for everyone.
As we announced last year, we’re partnering with leading device makers including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and 3Glasses on a wide range of headsets that pair with your Windows Mixed Reality-ready PC. These are the first mixed reality headsets to deliver built-in inside-out tracking, meaning there is no need to purchase or install external trackers or sensors in the wall. Moreover, you don’t need to bother with a complicated setup, just plug and play.
[Tweet “”Starting this month we will begin to ship developer edition headsets.””]
At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, we shared the next step in our mixed reality journey. As we continue to build on the momentum of the past year, starting this month we will begin to ship developer edition headsets created in partnership with Acer to our developer partners.
To empower even more developers to create in mixed reality, we gave a “golden ticket” to game developers who attended our Windows Mixed Reality session at GDC, and those developers will receive the Acer developer edition headset in the coming months. Game developers interested in building content for Windows Mixed Reality can sign up for ID@Xbox. All other developers can learn about the Windows Mixed Reality program here.
We’re also excited to share that Windows Mixed Reality experiences will light up on other devices over time, beyond desktop and Microsoft HoloLens. Our plan is to bring mixed reality content to the Xbox One family of devices, including Project Scorpio, in 2018.
When we begin the phased rollout of the developer kits this month, the kits will include the Acer headset, along with documentation and access to Windows 10 Insider preview builds and the software development kit (SDK) to enable developers to build mixed reality applications.
[Tweet “”Our plan is to bring mixed reality content to the Xbox One family of devices.””]
The specifications for the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Development Edition headset include:
- Two high-resolution liquid crystal displays at 1440 x 1440
- Display refresh rate up to 90 Hz (native)
- Built-in audio out and microphone support through 3.5mm jack
- Single cable with HDMI 2.0 (display) and USB 3.0 (data) for connectivity
We can’t wait to see what our developer partners build with our expanding platform, which currently delivers more than 20,000 Universal Windows applications, including mixed reality apps and games as well as the ability to stream Xbox games to your Windows 10 PC. Not only will you enjoy spectacular, immersive experiences, but also the things that you do most with your Windows PC – in mixed reality. Here’s a video we created to give you a glimpse of what is possible with Windows Mixed Reality:
I look forward to sharing more about our mixed reality journey at our //build conference in May. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @akipman.
Alex Kipman is the Technical Fellow of new device categories in the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft. An innovator at heart, Kipman has led four major break-through products for the company, including Kinect in 2010. Microsoft HoloLens is his latest product creation, bringing holograms to Windows. Kipman is named as the primary inventor on more than 100 patents since joining Microsoft in 2001.
