Friday, September 1st 2017
ASUS Reveals HC102 Windows Mixed Reality Headset
ASUS is another company that will be launching hardware developed according to Microsoft's Mixed Reality specifications. The company has put out some details on its HC102 Mixed Reality headset, which put it on par with other offerings from the likes of Acer, Dell and Lenovo in terms of both features and design. 2x LCD screens display a combined 2880x1200 resolution (1440x1440 per eye), at a 90 Hz refresh rate and an acceptable 90º FoV (Windows' MR solutions typically have a slightly lesser FoV compared to pure VR solutions like the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift).
Hardware-wise, ASUS also has the mandatory 6 DoF tracking, with an accelerometer and magnetometer increasing input data. A proximity sensor is also there, which we still haven't seen mentioned on other MR headsets. There are 2x inside-out cameras for positional tracking, and a 3.5 mm audio jack for your own high-quality headsets. All of this will set you back the same €449, with a pair of motion controllers, as the other options that have been announced on the market. It seems that vendors are generally locking in on Microsoft's recommended configuration - and the same price-tags - rather than differentiating through hardware and features - and, potentially, higher pricing. However, ASUS has done some work in making the HC102's design stand out a little more than the other solutions we've seen so far.
ASUS said it focused on designing a headset that would offer good hygiene, featuring an anti-bacterial coating on the surface - which is an extremely important feature that is usually not too much focused on by manufacturers. Reports do exist of people entering showroom floors with good health, and leaving with herpes due to contact with the same ocular cushions as the rest of the crowd, after all. Comfort is also, naturally, a concern, and ASUS guarantees the headset is comfortable to wear for long periods of time due to its "balanced crown" design, which takes the pressure off of your cheeks and nose and distributes the less than 400 g of weight between your forehead and the back of your head. Expect these headsets to start dropping towards the consumer market around October.
Source:
AnandTech
Hardware-wise, ASUS also has the mandatory 6 DoF tracking, with an accelerometer and magnetometer increasing input data. A proximity sensor is also there, which we still haven't seen mentioned on other MR headsets. There are 2x inside-out cameras for positional tracking, and a 3.5 mm audio jack for your own high-quality headsets. All of this will set you back the same €449, with a pair of motion controllers, as the other options that have been announced on the market. It seems that vendors are generally locking in on Microsoft's recommended configuration - and the same price-tags - rather than differentiating through hardware and features - and, potentially, higher pricing. However, ASUS has done some work in making the HC102's design stand out a little more than the other solutions we've seen so far.
15 Comments on ASUS Reveals HC102 Windows Mixed Reality Headset
I wonder if there will be 1200×1080 options for higher FOV. Not sure that's a good idea, but I can see that happening to keep FOV enthusiasts happy. Maybe these headsets can have simulated higher FOV? 110 degrees with less vertical pixels would still be interesting and could be a good compromise for those few times you really want more FOV.
What's headset support like? Would kraken pro v2's fit? Would I need a 4vr from plantronics?
The inside out tracking may be serviceable with the controllers but the line of sight dependency with respect to the HMD and controllers likely means frequent tracking issues with the controllers that would go above beyond that seen with the PSVR's dated move controllers.
As for an actual demo and hygiene. No way I would strap something like this to my head if everybody and their mother has been using it. If they don't have sanitary face shields or if I don't have my own protection I wouldn't touch it. It's not worth the trip to the doctors for antibiotics to treat conjunctivitis or whatever you could contract,...
No sir,....
My opinion is that 90 degree FOV is not acceptable at all, and actually don't even find that 110 degree in my Rift is acceptable. There are still times that the cut off picture horizontally is noticeable even when you're not intentionally looking for it. If anything, I see 110 degree as a bare minimum. When gaming, I would definitely place importance of higher FOV above a resolution higher than the current Rift. Yes, I do want more of both (and 120hz refresh) but if I could only have one or the other, I'd take FOV first. The periscope effect is far more noticeable than the screen door effect.
It is important to note that human vision in terms of peripheral vision is actually very poor. So an approach that is similar to foveated rendering could yield a wider FOV. Extending the FOV could be possible with some changes to the lenses and some basic optical and or reflective trickery.
Looking at it directly would reveal the techniques used but it could saturate the human FOV limits when primarily looking ahead.
It requires actually caring about making a better product though.
IMO, there is no better excuse for the use of flexible displays to wrap the image or curve it about the human eye in a HMD. This IMO is much more applicable and better suited to saturating the FOV then curved computer monitors and TV's.
Don't get me wrong, a higher resolution is nessary to mitigating or eliminate the screen door effect but such improvements are likely best applied generationally. 4K at 90Hz is a big ask in today's market and will take some time to address economically. Small increases in resolution from the current 2160x1200 are essentially half-measures.
Other components come into play though such as panel type and lense type.
If done properly, it will be an amazing headset with as only downside less FOV, but it could still be more immersive than the vive and rift due to higher pixel density. Little things make more difference than big things often.
Also, I thought all windows mixed reality headsets had 95 degrees FOV, which is already better than 90 at should be a better compromise between pixel density and FOV.
Its a fair argument to say that Pixel density / panel type / screen door effect can be a big factor to some. Its also fair to say FOV being too narrow can be a problem or not for some. I wouldn't care to have to choose one over the other though in a quasi pick your poison kind of way.
The reality is that these HMD are a work in progress and will improve from generation to generation if the manufacturers have incentive to stick with VR.
I wouldn't look to the current crop of Microsoft MR HMD's expecting too much aseptically so if the specs are actually lower in some respects to Vive and Rift.
However, I am willing to give it a fair shake if or when I have an opportunity to try it. It might be worth pointing out that there are already some reviews on Youtube. The early such postings are from developers naturally.
Title:
Acer Mixed Reality vs Oculus Rift & HTC Vive & PSVR | Reaction by VR Expert Nima Zeighami
Edit: this is the developer edition, so like with the devkits from the oculus, although likely to a lesser degree, the final consumer headset will be a bit more refined.
Looking forward to reviews of the consumer windows mixed reality headsets, especially because of the low requirements (the low-end graphics card may be the cause of the screen glitches though) making for a very futureproof headset and the tracking should be a bit better by then! Also, the cpntrollers are something I'm really looking forward too. I love the steam controller's touchpads, so I love that they included touchpads rather than just having some joysticks! Hopefully the cameras and software will be improved too so the tracking problems that occured low to the ground (or a desk) should hopefully be less of a problem.
The point of me posting the link to the video was really just to give some insight of an actual expert developer who is well schooled in HMDs. If it wasn't finalized hardware that means the assessment isn't necessarily applicable to the retail version but it might not be too far off.
The takeaway though is that it's a good effort on the part of Microsoft overall especially for the price point. Higher resolution is a plus but a narrower FOV and stil a screen door effect with god rays.
I'm interested but I'm also going to manage my expectations especially for the given target price point.
I'm confident that the final windows mixed reality headsets will be nearly perfect, within their specifications of course, whereas the developer edition models are just "a good first effort".
However, I do hope that they take the same approach as Steam and make every effort to be a central platform agnostic place for VR. That is to say I don't simply want to see them support only their hardware. Microsoft should make every effort to support other HMDs already on the market.
This is one of the reasons I prefer Steam. While I currently have an Oculus Rift I would likely prefer the HTC Vive and if newer generations improve the hardware I may want to upgrade to a new HMD (possibly of different manufacturer). So if all my games are in one place like Steam with open policies there is more freedom of choice with respect to HMD manufacturers.
So basically this is why I don't want to buy games from Oculus especially so if I can find them on Steam.
If Microsoft shows a willingness and openness to third-party VR hardware it can go a long way in terms of good will.
I like how Microsoft's Virual Reality is getting stronger, and it's technical possibilities will be even better!