Hello readers,
My curiosity became an obsession quickly as I’ve made a concerted effort to find the best use scenarios for my Windows Mixed Reality. You’ll note that this review is for fitness of purpose and should be considered opinion only.
Gaming
Obviously as this is the cornerstone of the platforms use… reviewing it as strictly a gaming device would be possible but of course that isn’t really the best approach to it. As a gaming accessory it is undeniably great but; “Until more games include VR options, the titles available (while numerous) are a bit limiting for review purposes.” The device is amazing and capable but most of the games lack the depth required to feel as engaged as most gamers would like. This is an industry issue not a device issue. While games like Skyrim and GTA 5 have ways of being played in some version of VR, most of the newest VR titles are shallow and feel more like previews than in depth games. That said I play VR games as roughly 65% of my gaming now so I’ll be looking forward to more in depth titles in VR.
Productivity
This is an area that is mostly working because of Steam’s inclusion of a desktop mode. While the Windows Mixed Reality environment has plenty of options for productivity… if you want to use other browsers or apps that aren’t in the windows store you are (for now) limited to desktop emulation. That said, it is entirely possible to adapt to the included environment and become productive if what you do on computers is not dampened by virtual keyboard vs speech recognition.
Movies and Media
I’ve watched many movies and shows on the platform. Some of these were VR and some were ordinary media, as viewed on screens that are much larger than movie theater screens. It’s the sort of experience that you decide to have on a rainy day rather than every day. Very fun, and always enjoyable, but often the general setup is such that you really have to want to do it. I’d probably never watch movies all day on the platform just because you get the sense that in that environment whatever is happening around you is being ignored.
Conclusion
My favorite things to do these days are in VR. I love the escape of it, the challenge of the hunt for exciting gaming experiences, and the overall immersion that makes even mundane tasks feel a whole lot more interesting. I must conclude that Windows Mixed Reality is (IMO) fit for: Mid range productivity environments or larger with environmental supervision, home business seated, and casual home use with a near future prediction of more augmented reality inclusion to fit the gap of use cases that require seeing your proximity to pets, coffee cups, etc.
4.5 out of 5 stars with the only .5 reduction being due to environmental hazards that require pre arranging for safety. I consider the device brilliant and am thrilled to have it.
