• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

What Minecraft and Dell Have to Do With Microsoft’s Virtual Reality Push

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 28, 2017, 5:46 PM ET
Microsoft Holds Its Annual Build Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 30: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers the keynote address during the 2016 Microsoft Build Developer Conference on March 30, 2016 in San Francisco, California. The Microsoft Build Developer Conference runs through April 1. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Microsoft and several of its big tech partners are hoping virtual reality will be a hot seller during the holidays.

Microsoft said on Monday that HP Inc. (HPQ), Lenovo, Dell, and Acer would introduce virtual reality headsets based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system in time for the busy holiday shopping season.

Additionally, Microsoft (MSFT) said it had created its own motion controllers that are compatible with those upcoming headsets. It did not say if it plans to sell the motion controllers separately.

In terms of headsets, Microsoft said the new Dell Visor VR, which will be go on sale in fall, would cost $360 (or $460 with Microsoft’s controllers). It did not provide any details about the other headsets.

Blaze into the mixed reality future in this sleek Dell Visor and its first-ever headset for Windows Mixed Reality. https://t.co/VuK7nCOIc7 pic.twitter.com/otA9gS3YE3

— Dell (@Dell) August 28, 2017

But earlier this year, Acer said that its VR headset would cost $300.

Microsoft also said that several VR versions of popular video games would debut for the new headsets. One of the games is the blockbuster world-building and crafting simulator Minecraft, which Microsoft bought along with that video game’s developer Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Special virtual reality versions of the first-person-shooter Halo will also debut, but Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman didn’t reveal any specifics about the timing. Kipman also said that the Steam video game and VR distribution service would work with the new Windows-based VR headsets.

This is noteworthy considering Steam parent company, Valve, is the software partner of Taiwanese-smartphone maker HTC, which sells the Vive VR headset. Steam is one of the most popular ways for people to access VR games and apps, but they need Vive headsets to play or use them.

The fact that the new Windows-based VR headsets will work with Steam means that people won’t have to own a Vive headset to access VR software from the distribution service.

Microsoft’s latest VR news comes amid recent price cuts by Facebook (FB) and HTC to their respective headsets. Earlier in August, HTC slashed the Vive’s price to $600 from $800, after Facebook temporarily dropped the price of its Oculus Rift to $400 from $600 as part of a summer sale.

Although the prices for VR headsets are cheaper than they have ever been, the headsets are still far from being mainstream hits, according to analysts. They also require fairly expensive personal computers to operate.

The lowest-priced computer that will power the new Windows-based headsets costs $500, according to Microsoft.

Still, Microsoft’s VR announcements Monday show that big tech companies still see the immersive technology as a potential big business—and blockbuster holiday gifts.

 

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation plans to give away $9 billion in 2026 to prepare for the 2045 closure while slashing hundreds of jobs
By Sydney LakeJanuary 23, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeJanuary 23, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Europe
Denmark offered to trade Greenland to the U.S. in 1910—and America thought it was crazy
By Steven Lamy and The ConversationJanuary 22, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Sweden abolished its wealth tax 20 years ago. Then it became a 'paradise for the super-rich'
By Miranda Sheild Johansson and The ConversationJanuary 22, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Jamie Dimon’s reality check for ambitious workers: ‘There’s going to be a grunt part to every part of a job. Get over it’
By Jake AngeloJanuary 23, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction are about to be unlocked because someone needs to build all these new AI centers
By Preston ForeJanuary 21, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

AIRecruiting
Silicon Valley talent keeps getting recycled, so this CEO uses a ‘moneyball’ approach for uncovering hidden AI geniuses in the new era
By Sydney LakeJanuary 25, 2026
16 hours ago
AIthe future of work
Meet a 70-year-old Home Depot store associate who uses AI on his phone about once an hour: ‘I think my job would suffer if I couldn’t’
By Matt O'Brien, Linley Sanders and The Associated PressJanuary 25, 2026
16 hours ago
lakehouse
AIConsulting
Inside KPMG’s Orlando Lakehouse: the $450 million Covid boondoggle that’s becoming a secret weapon for the AI revolution
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 25, 2026
19 hours ago
Virta Health CEO Sami Inkinen
SuccessPersonal Finance
The CEO of a $2 billion healthcare firm only felt rich after he paid off $100K in student loans—but that joy ‘disappeared’ in less than 3 days
By Emma BurleighJanuary 25, 2026
23 hours ago
Jake Miller, CEO of Fellow.
SuccessEntrepreneurs
This millennial founder got rejected 73 times before building a 9-figure coffee company. One more no, ‘I would have figured out how to sell a kidney’
By Preston ForeJanuary 24, 2026
2 days ago
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Menlo Park, California on Sept. 17, 2025. (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
AIData centers
Why Meta is positioning itself as an AI infrastructure giant—and doubling down on a costly new path
By Sharon GoldmanJanuary 24, 2026
2 days ago