Last year, Microsoft announced that a number of PC manufacturers would be creating their own headsets to use with forthcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, which focuses heavily on mixed reality experiences. Lenovo is still working on its headset—it still doesn't have a name—but I was able to check out a prototype here at CES. According to Lenovo, it will cost less than $400 when it launches, which is less than much of the current competition
It's currently a simple-looking device in a nondescript gray, with the Lenovo logo across its front face. There will likely be more aesthetic flair added along the way in development; functionality is the focus for now. The company is still experimenting with head strap and adjustment methods. On that note, the current system is appealing on a few fronts. To tighten, the rear strap has a gear-like knob that ratchets as you turn it in a very tactile, satisfying way. It's a bit like jacking into the Matrix and gives a firmer response than just pulling a strap, which can be difficult to measure by feel.
Another useful inclusion is a hinged front panel, which lets you put on the headset top down and then flip the visor over your eyes, rather than force it on face first. It's more comfortable and is especially useful to glasses-wearers, like myself, who don't have to cram their frames into the mask first, but can flip it down over them once the headset is already sitting properly in place. I still prefer to take my glasses off for VR since I feel like the headsets press on my frames and I don't want to see through crooked glasses.
Some aspects to Lenovo's headset have intriguing implications. For example, there are two outward-facing cameras on the front of the headset, which potentially enables augmented reality use. It will run on Windows Holographic, so in theory the headset is capable of anything the Microsoft Hololens can do.
Windows 10 will offer more uses than just gaming, which has been pretty much the sole focus of VR so far, and AR capabilities could make this headset—and others, if they follow suit—an useful tool for a wider audience.
Gaming still does factor into Lenovo's plans of course, and the company showed us a neat trick. At the demo, there was an HTC Vive headset connected to a Legion gaming laptop, running software called the Lenovo Entertainment Hub, which will serve as a launch point for games and movies. You'll be able to purchase games through Lenovo's client, but you'll also be able to access your games from Steam.
The software allows VR upscaling, which translates the movement in games to VR head tracking, even if the game wasn't built for virtual reality. If you launch a first person shooter that doesn't have VR features, you can still move your head to look around instead of using a standard controller. This feature will likely give people more of a reason to buy headsets even as VR-focused AAA titles are still scarce.
Stay tuned for more information about Lenovo's headset in the coming months—including its name, exact price, and ship date. We'll test it in our lab as soon as its available.
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