Tapping on the market for advanced augmented reality headsets in India, Acer has launched the country's first mixed reality headset called the 'Acer Windows Mixed Reality'. The headset comes with World Scale MR with 6 Degrees of Freedom (6 DoF) positional tracking and a long 13-foot cable to give users more freedom to move around.
The Acer Windows Mixed Reality headset offers an ultra-high resolution display of 1440x1440 pixels per eye and a wide 95-degree field-of-view. It offers real UHD resolution of 2880x1440 pixels (1440 vertically and 2880 horizontally) with both the lenses. The headset features a 2.89-inch LCD display module attached to each lens which delivers a fast refresh rate of 90 Hz which is essential for a true mixed reality experience.
Acer has also focused on comfort, as the headset has been designed to be lightweight and it comes with a double-padded, sweat-resistant material which is durable, but at the same time, allows for easy adjustments. The 13-foot long cable allows the user to freely move about the room while wearing the headset. The cable connects to a PC via HDMI 2.0, while the data is transferred via a USB 3.0 connector.
The headset also offers 'inside-out tracking,' meaning that there is no need to set-up additional trackers and sensors in the room. All that it requires is a Windows Mixed Reality-ready PC with the installed software to run it.
For the uninitiated, Mixed Reality (MR), as the name suggests, is a mix of reality and virtual reality (VR) that merges the real and virtual worlds to create an environment where you can interact with both physical and virtual objects in real-time, thereby creating an immersive experience. Unlike VR headsets which offer only virtual reality, MR allows you to interact with both physical and virtual objects using augmented reality and augmented virtuality.
For example, one application of MR in the healthcare industry can be something like this – MR can be used for surgical and ultrasound simulations to train healthcare professionals, wherein medical mannequins/dummies are brought to life to stimulate a surgery scenario.
"We are extremely thrilled to launch India's first mixed reality headset in collaboration with Microsoft. By introducing mixed reality headset, we aim to bring the best of our innovations to Indian customers. The Acer Windows Mixed reality headset offers a plethora of exciting and engaging content that is continually evolving. Its ergonomic design, vibrant display and motion controllers makes it a revolutionary device for those who embrace virtual reality and look for the best in technology," Chandrahas Panigrahi, CMO and Consumer Business Head, Acer, said commenting on the launch.
The pricing for Acer Windows Mixed Reality headset in India is yet to be announced. However, the device currently sells for $399 in the US.
