Will Microsoft's Mixed Reality Headsets Jump-Start the Market?
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) introduced the Hololens in 2015 and started selling a $3,000 developer edition last year, but it's unclear when the "mixed reality" device will be launched for mainstream consumers. Yet Microsoft has repeatedly touted mixed reality -- defined as a mixture of virtual and augmented reality -- as the future of Windows and computing.
Microsoft recently held an event in San Francisco dedicated to its Windows Mixed Reality platform, giving the public a clearer view of its near-term plans. The centerpiece of the show was the Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF) Odyssey, a high-end VR device which is similar to Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB) Oculus Rift. But unlike the Rift, which is tethered to location-tracking sensors, the Odyssey uses wireless "inside-out" positional tracking to track a user's movements.
Samsung's Odyssey headset. Image source: Samsung.
Source: Fool.com