Lenovo unveils the Lenovo Explorer immersive headset for Windows Mixed Reality

Lenovo calls it “pne of the most significant upgrades to the personal computer in over a decade.” It’s a new immersive headset for Windows Mixed Reality called the Lenovo Explorer. It’s designed as a natural extension of your PC, letting users of compatible mixed reality laptops and desktops do more of what they love to do: Watch shows in a virtual home office environment, play virtual reality (VR) games, travel the world through holo-tours, enhance their video-watching experience via 3D, 360-degree and 4K videos, browse online, or even get things done with Microsoft Office suite.

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The headset also allows users free and unfettered natural motion through inside-out positional tracking built within the headset. No external sensors are needed, which means setup can be accomplished in minutes by simply connecting the built-in Y-cable to your computer USB port and HDMI output. And most importantly, the Lenovo Explorer is compatible with many affordable PCs, making it the quintessential mixed reality offering for everyone, with cutting-edge immersion finally becoming an affordable reality.

Lenovo conversed with their customersand found that their main priority for immersive headsets—aside from affordability—was comfort. The company promises it’ll be light, snug, and comfortable. They add, “Anticipating that users will likely want to sustain a high degree of immersion for lengthy mixed reality sessions, we’ve finely calibrated the headset to ensure perfect balance, evenly distributing its weight from the front to the back.” It comes with adjustable with cushioning and fitted with a flip-up visor, to make it easier to put on and take off. The Lenovo Explorer features a sleek profile and comes in an iron gray finish.

A new way to work and play on your PC

The Lenovo Explorer lets you move around in an area of up to 3.5 by 3.5 meters. Within this space, users can hop, lunge, or crouch, with the headset tracking their natural movements with superior fidelity and spatial awareness. That means you won’t need to continually reorient yourself as you move around. You can lunge sideways to duck zombies in Arizona Sunshine or angle for a better view of the Incan ruins in Machu Picchu.

But the true benefit of Windows Mixed Reality comes through in the additional number of ways you now have to interact with your PC in virtual environments. You’ll now find improved options to work and play, watch content and explore the universe, with four different types of input controls. The Lenovo Explorer’s optional motion controllers lets you take natural and fine-grained actions in mixed reality. Easy to set up via Bluetooth connection, Lenovo motion controllers are precisely positioned to allow you to either craft tools or weapons in Minecraft or drag and resize images in PowerPoint. Or you can choose to use an Xbox controller to allow for easy navigation for certain VR games.

The keyboard and mouse makes the Lenovo Explorer the ultimate productivity life hack for your laptop. Anyone who’s ever put on headphones to block out distractions in an open plan office or noisy home can now choose to also be transported to a virtual space at a Microsoft Mixed Reality “cliff house” next to the sea, where you can actually get some serious writing done, do online research or finish up on that PowerPoint without outside diversions. And when you’re done, flip on a movie or show at the virtual Escape & Play theater—even while you’re still at work. Finally, the Lenovo Explorer supports voice commands through Cortana.

An expansive content library

When you land in the cliff house, you’ll be greeted with a host of content suggestions to populate your home, with one app per room. The Lenovo Explorer supports tons of high-quality content such as HoloTour and Hello Mars, and works with Windows Mixed Reality to deliver and provide an upgraded PC experience to over 20,000 Windows apps on the Microsoft store.

Discover new worlds. Unearth the hidden secrets of Machu Picchu in 1465 as you explore the Incan temples at sunset, or glide over Rome in a hot air balloon, where you’re afforded 360-degree vistas of the eternal city and surrounding countryside. Live through the “7 minutes of terror” Mars sequence through NASA, take in a 360-degree courtside view of a live basketball game, or just watch shows in your own virtual theatre. Mixed reality literally transforms your viewing experience, making true discovery possible through virtual holo-tours, videos, and photos, with support for 3D, 360° and 4K.

Windows Mixed Reality content will be available for PCs that meet the minimum Windows Mixed Reality specifications.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for the Lenovo Explorer and Motion Controllers will start at US$449 (around P23,000), while retail pricing of the Lenovo Explorer without the Motion Controllers is $349 (around P17,800). Pricing and availability may vary from country to country. Global availability is expected in the coming weeks.