Updates to the beta version of Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR, the official integration which allows Windows VR headsets to be used with SteamVR, hint at “upcoming hardware releases.”
Update (September 2nd, 2020): A Microsoft developer says the reference to “upcoming hardware releases” is in fact just referring the Reverb G2 and its controllers.
On Reddit they said, “I knew I should’ve put more thought into how I phrased this. Specifically we’re working on fixes & improvements for the upcoming HP Reverb G2 headset and the new motion controllers (hence the plural devices). Sorry to break the news, but I’ve got nothing new to announce!”
The original article, which speculates that, in addition to the Reverb G2, Samsung may still be working on Windows VR hardware, continues below.
Recent beta updates to the ‘Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR’ integration on August 24th and September 1st include “additional fixes & improvements for upcoming hardware releases.”
There hasn’t been a new WMR headset released since the HP Reverb headset back in 2019. And while the “upcoming hardware releases” likely refers to the impending launch of the new Reverb G2 (due out this Fall) it’s interesting that the headset is not simply named outright, considering that another line in the patch notes clearly names the “HP Motion Controllers,” the new controllers which will ship with the G2.
There’s at least a chance that the G2 is not the only headset among the “upcoming hardware releases” for WMR. Samsung hasn’t done much in the VR space since their Odyssey+ headset launched back in 2018, but earlier this year a handful of unseen Samsung headset designs were spotted in patents, lending some evidence to the idea that the company is still actively developing VR hardware.
Especially considering the manufacturing impact that the Coronavirus pandemic has had, it’s hard to guess how upcoming product timelines may or may not have shifted. For now, only time will tell if HP will continue to be the lone champion of WMR or if others will show renewed interest.
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