Let us get one thing straight right off the bat; Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality system is something of a misnomer. This name suggests it is a blend of augmented reality – like Google Glass, Pokemon Go, these iPhone apps and Microsoft’s own HoloLens — and virtual reality, like what is produced by the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR.
But this, for now at least, is not accurate. At the time of publication, all Mixed Reality headsets produce virtual reality. But Microsoft is calling it mixed because it hopes to use the name as an umbrella term for both virtual and augmented reality devices in the future — but for now the latter, like HoloLens, aren’t ready for consumers.
With that cleared up, let us take you further into explaining what Mixed Reality is.
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What is Windows Mixed Reality?
Mixed Reality became available to the public as a part of the fall 2017 Windows 10 update. Microsoft has partnered with a range of PC makers, including Acer, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung, to offer several compatible VR headsets.
These headsets fall somewhere between the cheap, smartphone-powered Samsung Gear VR and expensive VR headsets like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, which require a high-end gaming PC to function. They have their own embedded displays for feeding video to each eye, and have outwards-facing cameras on the outside to map the wearer’s environment — so there’s no need for separate light boxes, like with the HTC Vive.
Those cameras are also used to track two controllers held by the wearer. These are covered in small white LEDs which the cameras track to relay their position into the VR world. Each Mixed Reality headset manufacturer is also producing their own controllers, but so far they have all copied Microsoft’s reference design and added their own logo. Hopefully different button layouts, increased personalization and better ergonomics will appear in their next generation controllers.
In the meantime, Xbox One controller can also be used with Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
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Source: gearbrain