It has been a bit of a wait for Asus to make available its mixed reality headset in the marketplace, but if you have been holding out for one, the day has finally arrived.
The company's new headset (model HC102) is one of several mixed reality headsets designed for Windows 10. The specs are mostly the same across the board, save for differences in styling. In that regard, the HC102 is arguably the best looking of the bunch, if you like the futuristic design that Asus was shooting for.
Beyond the looks, the HC102 has a flippable hinge so users can lift up the visor and peek at the real world, rather than having to remove the headset entirely. It weighs less than 400g with most of the weight balanced on the forehead and back of the skull. The point of that is to relieve pressure on the nose and face.
Like the other mixed reality headsets from Microsoft's hardware partners, the HC102 has a pair of 1440x1440 displays (2880x1440 total) with a 90Hz refresh rate. It also sports two built-in front-facing tracking cameras with six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) position tracking.
Also like competing mixed reality headsets, the HC102 uses inside-out tracking, with each of the included motion controllers having 32 LEDs. Unlike headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, there is not need to place external sensors/base stations around the room.
Asus points out that its headset supports over 20,000 Windows apps and more than 2,000 Steam VR titles. The company also says the headset is available immediately from its web store, though we couldn't locate it at the time of this writing. However, we did spot it at B&H Photo for $429, and at eBuyer for £430.
