Windows Mixed Reality Has Leveled the VR Playing Field (Premium)

I have to give Microsoft and its partners some credit for reducing the complexity of VR/AR and for lowering prices across the board, even with rival platforms. I still don't see VR/AR as the next platform wave, per se. But Windows Mixed Reality may be just what this market needed to be successful.

I mention this now because I was intending to follow-up on my initial Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset First Impressions anyways. And because my son was home over the holiday weekend. He and his cousin spent some time playing with the Acer Mixed Reality Headset and motion controllers, and they were quite impressed.

This surprised me a bit, not because there's anything wrong with the devices or with Windows Mixed Reality, generally. But because these guys are gamers, with real gaming PCs, and they spend their gaming time with fairly hard-core titles like Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). Not on consoles, or on more casual games.

Today, most VR experiences are simply not that rich, especially from a graphical perspective. But maybe what I've lost sight of is that many VR experiences are quite immersive. And it is that immersion, I think, that made their Windows Mixed Reality so exciting. You really can get lost in some of these games and apps, and that's true even when the graphics aren't technically that great.

Which they won't be: Windows Mixed Reality, like all VR platforms, suffers mightily from its low resolution graphics and other limitations. It's not possible, today at least, to great an immersive VR-based first person shooter because gamers would quickly become sick and start throwing up.

But this limitation has inspired developers to get truly creative, something we've seen a lot in the past, too: Many games for the early Ataris and other 8-bit consoles were graphically simplistic, but featured involving, addictive game play. And, more recently, touch-first devices like smartphones and tablets have triggered new kinds of games that would never have been invented without that kind of input.

The inherent genius of Windows Mixed Reality is three-fold.

First, by making this platform an integral part of Windows 10, Microsoft is providing developers with a massive audience to target, and is even providing 2D ways to enjoy VR content.

Second, by ensuring that the platform has a relatively low entry price, Microsoft has triggered price reductions everywhere. Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR are all now less expensive thanks to Windows Mixed Reality.

And third, Microsoft had dramatically lowered the complexity of getting up and running with a sophisticated VR system. Compared to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, in particular, Windows Mixed Reality is a breeze to set up. It doesn't require external sensors, which must be mounted on a wall or on stands. And that means you can use it in any room.

Yes, VR is still limited. As noted, the resolution isn't great, and this is particularly obvious in 360 degree vid...