Windows Mixed Reality Arrives with Fall Creators Update & Headsets

A child using an augmented reality app to interact with a virtual shark in a classroom setting.

Today, anyone with a compatible PC can download the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and experience Windows Mixed Reality.

Also arriving today are Windows Mixed Reality headsets from Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, which are all available through Microsoft Stores. Best Buy also sells the Acer, Dell, and HP models; Amazon lists the Acer headset, but it is temporarily out-of-stock, Those opting for a Samsung HMD Odyssey headset will have to wait until Nov. 6.

Various models of virtual reality headsets.

Microsoft

But you don't need the headset to get started. The update comes with the Mixed Reality Viewer app, which enables users without headsets to see 3D objects placed into their immediate environment using their PC cameras. Users can even conjure their own 3D content through Paint 3D and view it in their physical world.

At launch, sixteen apps are available for Windows Mixed Reality. Notably, Hulu VR gives users the opportunity to watch TV in virtual environments, such as a movie theater or a beach, or watch VR content from Hulu Originals, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Live Nation. Arizona Sunshine, a VR first-person shooter, occupies the top of the premium price range at $39.99, while a number of offerings are free.

"Our sense of what is possible is set to be transformed as we enter a new era of computing, the era of mixed reality. We have started to see this transformation take place in the modern workplace and soon we'll see it in every facet of life. With mixed reality, our ideas move beyond the boundaries of paper, beyond the boundaries of screens, and beyond the boundaries of description. This is the fundamental promise of mixed reality. The barrier that exists between our physical and digital worlds will disappear," wrote Alex Kipman, technical fellow at Microsoft in a blog post earlier this month.

Need to check if your PC is ready for Windows Mixed Reality? There's an app for that. In case you needed a compatible PC, Microsoft also introduced the Surface Book 2, which will be available for pre-order on Nov. 9.

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Cover image via Microsoft

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