Lenovo’s Mixed Reality headset is called The Explorer, which seems fitting given that by using the headset you’ll be able to explore a wide range of different content from games to media. Lenovo will be selling the Explorer in October though it hasn’t confirmed an official launch date. It has however opened up about pricing. The Explorer will come in two versions – the headset by itself for $349.99, or the headset with the touch controllers for $449.99. That being said, you can use a keyboard and mouse with the headset as well as an Xbox One controller so you won’t necessarily have to buy the touch controllers, though there is probably going to be specific content which requires them.
Whether it’s watching movies and TV or playing games, the Explorer will handle it all according to Lenovo. At launch you’ll reportedly be able to dive into things like Holo Tours and view 360-degree 4K videos. There’s also a virtual home office setting which you can use to watch your favorite shows, and of course VR games will be available as well although Lenovo doesn’t specify what any of this content will be exactly. That said, none of that is likely up to Lenovo as it’s not actually creating the content, so any of the content that you do wish to experience should be found in the Windows store and will probably be compatible with any of the Mixed Reality headsets that are running on Microsoft’s platform.
Now, the Lenovo Explorer isn’t completely standalone which also means it has wires, but you will still be able to move around thanks in part to the long cords for the headset that connect to a compatible PC, but also thanks to the cameras on the front. As far as your range, you should be able to move around in a 3.5 by 3.5 meter space, giving you plenty of freedom to interact with your content. Although the Explorer isn’t available to buy yet, once it actually launches it will be available to all consumers, which is a bit different than the Mixed Reality headsets that HP and Acer announced, which are developer models. The Lenovo Explorer also joins Dell’s recently announced Mixed Reality headset which comes to market at the same price – $350.
