This year, we’ve seen many companies release Mixed Reality hardware and the latest is Dell with the Dell Visor. Back at Computex 2017 Dell first announced the device, but now its officially on sale in the US and UK (sadly not Australia yet). The Dell Visor will start shipping globally on Oct. 17 for US$349.99 (headset) and US$99.99 (controllers), or US$449.99 (headset and controllers kit). It will also be available at the Microsoft Store, MicrosoftStore.com and other retailers starting in October.
In Windows 10, Microsoft ships a Mixed Reality Portal app that allows you to use headsets like Dell’s to get a VR experience in a simulator. While you can use the headset (and optional controllers), directly with the games and experiences from Windows Store or Steam, this gives you a great experience out of the box.
Dell say the headset is sleek and stylish, I disagree, I think its actually one of the more awkward designs, but if your using this at home, who cares how you look, nobody looks cool using MR. The headset can be bundled with the now standard black handheld controllers with circular rings again looking awkward, but lets move past that.
The Dell Visor functions are what’s important here. First off, it flips-up when you need to see the real world (or real humans). This fairly simple welding-mask inspired engineering is often forgotten, leaving the user with the frustrating in-out-in experience. The Visor delivers 1440 x 1440 pixels per eye, with dual 2.89” LCD panels at a very decent refresh rate of 90Hz. The Fresnel lenses deliver a field of view of 110 degrees.
Thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, Dell’s Visor takes advantage of the same technology used in the Microsoft HoloLens including 6-DoF, inside-out tracking, with the headset itself able to scan your surroundings instead of satellite emitters positioned inside the room. Meaning that it takes less time and no equipment for set up, so you can immerse yourself in mixed reality experiences right away.
A common challenge with Mixed Reality headsets is having a PC powerful enough to drive it. The Dell Visor is compatible with many Windows Mixed Reality PCs, even laptops including Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming laptops and Inspiron Gaming Desktops. Basically there’s 2 tiers of performance available when considering MR.
- Windows Mixed Reality PCs: will consist of desktops and laptops with integrated graphics. When plugged into these devices, our immersive headsets will run at 60 frames per second.
- Windows Mixed Reality Ultra PCs: will consist of desktops and laptops with discrete graphics. When plugged into these devices, our immersive headsets will run at 90 frames per second.
The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop will also be offered as a bundle featuring a NVIDIA 1050 Ti, Dell Visor and Controllers for US$1249.
Tech Specs
To go pre-order now or for more information head over to Dell.
