On the other hand, Project Scorpio is the codename for the upcoming Xbox One model, that’s capable of true 4K gaming, high-end virtual reality, and HDR content. Microsoft is catching up to rival Sony in the VR category. To do this, Microsoft has partnered with device makers like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and 3Glasses to create Mixed Reality headsets.
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Microsoft has announced a new Xbox Live Creators Program at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference. Firstly, Project Scorpio is shaping up to launch in the holiday 2017 period, so it sounds like mixed reality support won’t be included out of the box, instead arriving next year. It features not one but two high-res displays at 1440×1440, refresh rate of 90Hz, a 3.5mm jack along with HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0. As the publication has noted, Sony recently announced that it had sold nearly one million PlayStation VR headsets since releasing the same on October.
The consumer base of virtual reality and/or mixed reality is growing, so it was only a matter of time until Microsoft jumped into the pool. One thing that separates these mixed reality headsets from the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive is the use of inside-out tracking technology. Microsoft will start sending out the dev kits “soon” to content creators.
The software giant would reportedly unveil the Xbox Project Scorpio at the E3 event on June 11, and bring it to the market ahead of the holiday shopping season. Where the company’s HoloLens developer kit has a narrow field of view that makes it tough to see even an entire application window at once, much less an entire Windows desktop, that wasn’t a problem with Microsoft’s VR-style rig.
Most high-end virtual reality headsets, like the PlayStation VR, rely on a camera by your TV or monitor so the system can “see” when you turn your head and move your virtual vantage point accordingly. “Moreover, you don’t need to bother with a complicated setup, just plug and play”, Microsoft said in its official blog post.
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Microsoft has started releasing PC builds for Windows 10 Insiders as smaller, change-only update packages from its new Unified Update Platform.
