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Microsoft announces minimum specs for its Windows 10 VR headsets

The company's VR HMDs come with requirements separate from those of established devices like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. 

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Microsoft recently announced a new line of VR headsets to tap into Windows 10's VR and holographic capabilities. Earlier this week, the company revealed the PC specs you'll need to use them.

  • 4GB of RAM
  • USB 3.0 port
  • A graphics card that supports DirectX 12
  • 4 CPU cores boasting dual-core processors with hyperthreading

Those are minimum specifications, but you can test your Windows 10 PC to see how close you come to meeting the bar for entry. The latest builds of Windows 10 include a tool called Windows Holographic First Run that scans your computer's hardware and lets you know what weak links need to be shored up, if any.

Not much is known about Microsoft's VR headset, other than a few bullet points: the price starts at $299, and uses inside-out tracking to eschew extra hardware like external cameras. Its partners include Acer, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Dell.

[Source: The Verge]

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David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 23, 2016 3:45 PM

    David Craddock posted a new article, Microsoft announces minimum specs for its Windows 10 VR headsets

    • reply
      November 24, 2016 7:19 AM

      Still more interested in the AR stuff from Microsoft, than cheap VR headset.

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      November 24, 2016 7:51 AM

      No additional hardware for tracking sounds good at least

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      November 24, 2016 7:56 AM

      So what's the slowest card that supports DX 12?

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      November 24, 2016 8:04 AM

      [deleted]

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        November 24, 2016 8:23 AM

        While cool, this actually disappoints me because they're using a silly wiimote instead of doing kinect-style hand tracking to touch things

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          November 24, 2016 9:18 AM

          That would cost a lot more :( Hololens does hand tracking, I think, but that has more or less a kinect strapped to your head, these headsets just have a couple of webcams.

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      November 27, 2016 7:50 PM

      Aren't these specs meaningless if most VR titles have much higher requirements?

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      November 28, 2016 7:38 AM

      As an old man gamer that started with PONG with RF adapter, I recently tried VR for the first time on just a crappy Google Daydream/Pixel phone. I'm blown away by how cool this was - especially the GoPro videos. I'm sold on one, but suspect it's going to be a few more years before this VR stuff really catches on and we get solid AAA titles. Haven't looked up shit, just spewing my 2 cents after trying it out. Was pretty damn impressed and think gaming is going to get really fun in the coming years.

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