Lenovo announces new VR headset at CES in Las Vegas

Lenovo announced at CES in Las Vegas this week that it is going to launch its own VR device later this year. (Twitter)

LOS ANGELES — Add Lenovo to the list of companies making virtual reality (VR) headsets. The Chinese consumer electronics giant announced at CES in Las Vegas this week that it is going to launch its own VR device later this year.

The still-unnamed device is based on Microsoft’s Windows Holographic platform and will have to be plugged into a PC running Windows 10. Microsoft officially announced Windows Holographic as a platform for virtual and augmented reality hardware last summer.

Windows Holographic is in part based on the technology powering Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality (AR) headset, and Lenovo’s device will be able to run at least some mixed-reality experiences, thanks to a set of external cameras. Those cameras will also be used for inside-out tracking, which means that the headset will be able to track a user’s position and movements without the need for any external tracking hardware.

There’s no price for the headset yet, but the company told The Verge that it is aiming for a price point close to $300. That’s notably cheaper than competing headsets from Facebook-owned Oculus and HTC, which sell for $600 – $800. Sony’s PlayStation VR headset sells for around $400.