Microsoft’s Mixed Reality controllers work like Oculus Touch — without the cameras

Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality headsets recently started shipping to developers, but

they won’t really feel complete until people can get their hands on the accompanying motion controllers, which go on sale this holiday. Microsoft first revealed these controllers in May, and we finally got to check them out a little bit last week, in advance of a public appearance at the IFA electronics show. They’re not the most elegant hardware, but they’re an impressive technical achievement: a pair of full-featured motion controllers that work without any fixed external trackers, just cameras on the VR headset itself. Like the headsets, Windows Mixed Reality controllers will be released by Microsoft partners, including HP, Lenovo, Dell, and Acer; bundles of the two will start at $399. (While “mixed reality” refers to a spectrum of immersive technology, Microsoft’s Mixed Reality headsets are basically just VR headsets.) Microsoft developers are supposed to always plug their headsets into comparatively high-end PCs with dedicated graphics cards, but for consumers, there are two options. The “Windows Mixed Reality Ultra” baseline has a graphics card, and experiences will run at 90 frames per second, the optimal standard for VR. “Windows Mixed Reality” PCs have integrated graphics, and run at 60 frames per second, a minimum standard. WINDOWS MIXED REALITY NO LONGER HAS THE MASSIVE PRICE ADVANTAGE IT USED TO Overall, Microsoft says that headsets will work with “new and existing PC models” that start at $499. That’s less than the vast majority of Oculus Rift or HTC Vive-ready PCs, but it’s actually not that much cheaper than the low end of that spectrum. Other VR headsets have also gotten cheaper since Microsoft announced Windows Mixed Reality; an Oculus motion controller bundle dropped to $499, and the HTC Vive is now $599. Windows Mixed Reality’s biggest advantage right now is probably convenience. You can plug in a headset and have internal cameras track its motion without additional hardware, making it much more flexible and portable, even if it’s still wired to a PC. Lots of companies are doing this kind of inside-out tracking, but based on my brief experience, few of them are doing it as well as Microsoft. The headset motion is precise and fluid, without the “swimminess” that I’ve experienced elsewhere.                                                                               https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/28/16204698/microsoft-windows-mixed-reality-controller-hands-on-pricing