 The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is here, and with it comes a bunch of mixed reality stuff like Paint 3D and the Mixed Reality Viewer, along with some new partner-developed hardware to support these mixed reality experiences. And that is what we're checking out today. The Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset is the first of a wave of compatible headsets, all of which have similarly brutal names. But just what is so mixed about it? And at $400, can it compete with incumbent VR heavyweights like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift? The Meteor XR Series from Roseville features a black exterior with white interior accents, a detachable 5.25 inch bay, and more. Check it out at the link below. Okay, first things first, the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset, ugh, you know what, I'm just gonna call it Omer, looks more like a mixed reality playset. Its glossy plastic finish can best be described as Power Rangers-esque, and its overall feel is less premium than either the Rift or the Vive. I mean, nobody ever looks cool with clunky headgear, but this one is probably among the uncoolest that I've seen yet, and it has some issues with fit as well. The padding around the goggles plugged the nostrils of almost everyone in the office who tried it, and the headset's sole adjustment point, which to their credit is super easy to use, tightens the headband without pulling the goggles themselves closer to your face. So it's designed this way so that you can flip the goggles up, which is great for taking a quick look at the real world or having a conversation with a colleague, but the result is that the bottom edge of the goggles is further from your face than it needs to be, making it difficult to get everything perfectly in focus. Let's talk screen now. Compared to the Rift and the Vive, Omer uses a significantly higher resolution screen, 2880 by 1440. This results in a noticeably sharper image and reduced, though still noticeable, screen door effect. With that said, don't get too excited. Unlike the Rift and the Vive, Omer uses an LCD display instead of an OLED display. So even just wandering around in virtual space, there is noticeable smearing behind even moderate speed objects, with the effect most noticeable against contrasting backgrounds. Omer's biggest claim to fame, though, is its inside-out tracking. So what this means is that the system's awareness of its position is all done in the helmet itself, rather than having it rely on a constellation of motion trackers placed strategically around your desk. This means that setup time, a significant pain point with other solutions, now takes just a couple of minutes. But this does come with some drawbacks. If the controllers are moved beyond the field of view of the front-facing cameras, they may glitch out for a second while they recalibrate, and, well, traditional outside-in tracking will always be more accurate, especially if you're using three or more satellites. So this, combined with the LCD display, already disqualifies Omer for gamers, and probably high-level content creators. On the subject of the controllers, let's take a look at them. You can actually save a hundred bucks if you don't want them, but a lot of the experiences definitely worked better with them. They're designed by Microsoft, so you can expect other upcoming mixed reality headsets to use them, and overall, while they won't win any ergonomic awards, your thumb rests sort of between the trackpad and the joystick, rather than on either of them, and the handles don't taper toward the end for some reason, the build quality is okay, and they're small, light, and pretty simple to use. I'm actually genuinely a little annoyed, though, that they use AA batteries rather than charging over USB. That said, the fact that the Windows Home button takes you to a literal Windows Home definitely delights me. Okay, then. I'm glad to hear you're delighted, Linus. But so far, all you've shown is a VR headset. Isn't this the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset? How does Aumer let you interact with both the real world and the virtual world at the same time? Ha ha! That is a long and wonderful question. It doesn't. No, no, there's no funny punchline here. It just doesn't. And I'll be honest with you, this confused us a little bit, too. In fact, truthfully, I probably wouldn't have requested one of these from Acer if I had fully understood what it was, or more accurately, what it wasn't. So after some digging, it appears as though Windows Mixed Reality is more like aspirational branding for a platform that will eventually support AR, VR, and MR tools like the Microsoft HoloLens than it is a description of the actual products that are labeled with it today. So despite the name, headsets like this one are pretty much last year's hardware, with a higher resolution display, on next year's platform. Which makes it kind of hard to understand why exactly someone would buy them. Back in April, when Acer first announced this product, pricing was going to be the big advantage. But then Oculus hardcore used that Facebook money to kill that when they slashed the price of the Rift, which even includes headphones and a bunch of games at the same price of $400. So should anyone buy this, then? Okay, actually, maybe. Inside-out tracking makes Omer way more portable than other flagship VR systems, since there's no satellites to cart around, and then stick on tripods, and then plug in the wall, and then calibrate, blah blah blah. No, it's basically plug-and-play. And there will be lots to play. The theater experience is legitimately better, thanks to the intuitive navigation and higher pixel density, and by the end of the year, WMR will support SteamVR. So, assuming your gaming rig has the horses, you'll be able to play most of the same games as everyone else, with some tracking and pixel response compromises. So, all told then, Omer isn't a terrible product. And for the person who needs portability, it, or Samsung's upcoming OLED competitor, is a much better experience than a phone-based Google Cardboard, or whatever. But, for an enthusiast like me, I mean, I was already a little disappointed when it didn't have the next-gen VR feel that I would have expected over a year after the launch of the Rift and the Vive, and then, when it didn't even begin to deliver on the promise that was right in the name, and didn't manage to undercut existing offerings enough to be a budget alternative, I mean, that was just the cucumber icing on a gluten-free cake. So, I'll be waiting to see what's coming from Oculus and HTC in the coming months. But before that happens, I'll be telling you guys about Ting. Ting is the mobile carrier that is focused on customer satisfaction. That's right, if you're on Ting, you can actually pick up your phone, which for some reason isn't in my pocket, I have this in my pocket, here it is, you can pick up your phone and you will get put through directly to a person. And you don't pay a premium for that kind of service, you actually pay only for what you use, both minutes and data, and the average Ting bill is just 23 bucks a month per device. If you're stuck in a contract and you switch to Ting, they'll cover 25% of your cancellation fee, up to $75, and they've got lowered mobile data rates, data is just $10 per gig beyond the first gig. So head over to linus.ting.com, try their savings calculator, which will tell you how much you'll save, then sign up at our link and you'll also get 25 bucks in service credit or towards a shiny new device. 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