For the past few years, Microsoft has thrown an annual attention-grabbing event. The event is held every October to introduce its new products and devices, such as Surfaces computers and Windows smartphones. However, the company might be breaking tradition this year. According to a report from The Verge, Microsoft is planning to hold a special Windows Mixed Reality event on October 3 in San Francisco. The company also promises to announce its next move towards virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. The main speaker of the event will be Microsoft’s Kinect and HoloLens inventor, Alex Kipman.
What should people expect from the event?
Microsoft is likely to focus on its reality headsets (augmented and virtual), which are expected to be launched on October 17. The Mixed Reality headsets will be unveiled alongside the company’s Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. These headsets have been made by Acer, HP, Dell, and Lenovo, but all of them are powered by Microsoft Windows. Acer's first headsets cost $299, HP's own headsets cost $450 (motion controllers included), while Dell and Lenovo are pricing theirs for $349. Asus will not be releasing its Windows Mixed Reality headset until March 2018. Competing virtual reality headsets like the HTC Vive and Facebook's Oculus Rift costs $600 and $500 respectively.
How serious is Microsoft about creating VR devices?
For Microsoft, the Windows Mixed Reality is a huge opportunity at controlling the future of headset technology, particularly virtual reality. Even if Microsoft’s presentation for its new headset does not include any ground-breaking features, it will indicate that the company is very serious about the field and it intends to stay in the long run.
According to a report Engadget, the company is making a new HoloLens that features an improved AI chip. But because of its complicated features, the HoloLens might not arrive until late 2019. The company might also change its usual launch schedule because of the lack of competition in the industry.
Is there any upcoming major event?
Microsoft will launch its new console dubbed as Xbox One X on November 7. The company promises that it would be the most powerful video game console in the world. The Xbox One X launch will just be a minor event. The bottom line is that Microsoft would not have another major hardware launch event for the rest of the year. It is already expected because the company has been very busy in the past few months of 2017.
