The Asus Windows Mixed Reality headset launched a few month later than the other Windwows MR headsets but still comes along with the exact same specs. What makes this headset special is without a doubt the very cool low-poly design and the great build quality. That unfortunately comes with a price. With $429 the Asus Windows MR headset is considerably more expensive than for example the Lenovo Explorer which can be had for around half the price. Is the design and the better build quality worth the money?
Probably not. Because under the hood the headset just features the exact same specs as the early Windows MR headsets. It runs with an 1440 * 1440 pixels per eye LCD display, does not have manual IPD adjustment, no headphones and no microphone. If you compare it to the Lenovo Explorer, which I did in the above video, you will be hard pressed to find any differences, other than the beautiful design and the better build quality that shows itself in the better face padding. But even though the build quality is better, when comparing the comfort the Lenovo Explorer still has an edge. FOV wise, the two headsets also do not have any differences and are only beaten by the Samsung Odyssey which has the highest FOV of all the Windows MR headsets.
If you are considering to buy the Lenovo Explorer but would like to get a headset with a better build quality and you don’t care about spending a bit more, you can definitely go for the Asus headset. But for nearly the same amount of money you could also get the Samsung Odyssey which comes with integrated heaphones, mic and manual IPD adjustment.