Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets, such as Acer’s blue-painted option, are not setting the world on fire, at least when it comes to gamers. The latest Steam hardware survey shows that of the total number of virtual reality headset owners on the platform, WMR makes up just 5 percent. That’s a lower market share than it had a few months ago.
Although marketed as something new and blending both the real and virtual worlds, Windows Mixed Reality is, for now at least, a virtual reality platform — it’s just Microsoft’s interpretation of it. While we found early hardware passable, we’ve not come across a headset that really impressed us just yet. Apparently, our feelings are mirrored by the gaming community, which still unequivocably prefers existing standouts like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
To the credit of Microsoft and its partners, WMR hardware did steal a portion of the VR market when they launched, notching up to above 5 percent in a couple of months after the platform debuted last year. However, those numbers have remained pretty stagnant, and lately they’ve even fallen, dropping around a third of a percent since the start of February.
In comparison, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have battled back and forth with one another with around 45 percent share a piece, though the Rift currently has a little more at 47.5 percent. Oculus also enjoys a slightly bolstered position in the market with just under two percent of all VR users still running the old DK2 developer headset from time to time.
All of the major VR headsets have been falling in price over the past six months, with the Rift now sitting at $400, the Vive at $500, and the PSVR at $210. Those prices will have helped them all remain competitive, though WMR hardware has fallen in price right along with them. Some headsets can now be found for close to $200, making it one of the more affordable VR platforms, but that doesn’t appear to have enticed Steam gamers to opt for it over the more established competition.
Perhaps what WMR needs, as MSPowerUser suggests, is a concerted push for the fledgling technology from Microsoft. If the software giant hopes that its new platform will catch on among the increasingly saturated VR space, it may need to.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.