Windows Mixed Reality headset use gains traction on Steam, now up to 4.35% usage share

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by Radu Tyrsina 

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It’s been nearly two months now since SteamVR games launched in early preview on Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and the Windows VR headsets are already gaining traction on Steam. As noted by Road to VR this week (via MSPoweruser), the latest Steam hardware survey revealed that Windows Mixed Reality headsets more than doubled their usage share from 2% to 4.35% last month.

While the HTC Vive (47.26%) and the Oculus Rift (46.14%) remain far ahead in the chart, Windows Mixed Reality headsets should gain more usage share on Steam once the SteamVR bridge officially drops its beta tag.

As Microsoft and its hardware partners have yet to reveal sales data, it’s still hard to know if Windows Mixed Reality headsets are selling well. But thanks to their inside-out tracking technology, Windows VR headsets are much easier to set up compared to the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, which both require external tracking hardware. Moreover, Windows Mixed Reality are really affordable, and most of them were on sale during the holidays.

Like most VR headsets these days, Windows Mixed Reality headsets should remain focused on PC gaming scenarios for the time being, and SteamVR is a great platform for that. Unfortunately for Xbox One owners, Microsoft believes that console VR should be wireless, so we could wait quite some time before seeing Windows Mixed Reality support on the Xbox One.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.