One of the barriers to high-end virtual reality (VR) at the moment is cost. For those who wish to experience VR using a device such as a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, it is necessary to invest in a powerful PC, with most VR-capable cards alone costing over £200 (GBP). Lenovo’s Windows 10 Mixed Reality headset aims to ease this burden.
Lenovo were announced as one of the companies that were making a mixed reality (MR) headset for Windows 10 alongside Dell, Acer and HP. The Lenovo variant, now named as the Lenovo Explorer, is designed to offer a middle ground between high-end PC VR devices such as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and mobile VR devices like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream. To further this aim, Lenovo have confirmed that the Lenovo Explorer will be able to run using integrated graphics, so an expensive dedicated graphics card such as a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 isn’t needed.
This means that lower-end PCs and laptops will be able to make use of the Lenovo Explorer and mixed reality Windows 10 content. As Lenovo said in a press release: “The Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality headset is designed as an affordable headset for your PC: You can access Microsoft Office suite, browse online or watch shows in a virtual home office environment, play virtual reality games, explore and discover through tours, and enhance the video-watching experience via 3D, 360-degree and 4K videos.”
The Lenovo Explorer is planned to retail for $350 (USD) by itself, or for $450 as a bundle with the Windows 10 motion controllers. Most of the Windows 10 MR devices are slated to become available for consumer purchase from 17th October, 2017.
VRFocus will bring you further news on the Lenovo Explorer as it becomes available.
via Mint VR