Minimum PC specs for Windows 10 VR headsets revealed

Microsoft announced last month that it is working on the new Windows 10 Creators update which will be arriving next year in spring. It had also announced that it has partnered with companies like Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Asus and HP to make affordable VR headsets that will launch once the new update starts rolling.

The company had revealed a starting price of $299 and a hint on how it would be based on the HoloLens headset and Windows Holographic environment. However it didn’t give any details as to what kind of system will be required to efficiently use these upcoming VR headsets.

Thanks to The Verge, we now have a bit of a clue. The latest test builds of Windows 10 is said to include “Windows Holographic First Run” application that allows one to test if a machine is compatible or not. According to the tests, the requirements are going to be quite nominal. These include 4GB of RAM, a USB 3.0 port, a graphics card with DirectX 12 support and a CPU with 4 cores or a dual-core processor with hyper-threading.

This means that you don’t need a high-end system to run the upcoming Microsoft’s upcoming partner-made Windows VR system. However the mentioned requirements are needed for ‘most experiences’. Essentially it means that it may not be enough to experience the full potential of the headsets.

The Verge has added that Microsoft will give out more details about its VR headsets for Windows 10 at an event in December. The full holographic shell is not yet available to run on devices like HTC’s Vive, even though the first run app is currently available in the test builds. The coming weeks should see Microsoft enabling this as it starts to discuss more about its VR plans.

This is clearly a move to bring a proper VR experience to the masses. It is still expensive than what Google is offering with Daydream, but it seems to be a bit more immersive than just a smartphone hanging in front of your eyes.

With the Oculus and HTC Vive sitting on a higher price tier, will the Windows 10 based VR headsets have an upper hand? Only time will tell.