Following months of steep discounts, most of the Windows VR headsets have vanished from Microsoft’s online store and are showing limited or no stock at other retailers. Microsoft has yet to offer an explanation, but signs are pointing toward discontinuation of some headsets.
Update (July 8th, 2019): Since the original article was published, the Lenovo Explorer headset has also vanished from the Microsoft Store, leaving just the Samsung Odyssey+ and the Asus VR headset (though the latter remains out of stock).
Responding to Road to VR’s inquiry about the disappearance of most of the Windows VR headsets from the company’s store, a Microsoft spokesperson said, “While select Windows Mixed Reality headsets are currently out of stock at the Microsoft Store, Samsung HMD Odyssey+ Windows Mixed Reality headsets remain available,” but offered no further information.
Original Article (June 24th, 2019): Six different companies have offered one or more Windows VR headsets—Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus, and Acer—since the introduction of the Windows Mixed Reality platform back in 2017. Previously, many of these headsets could be found at Microsoft’s online store and elsewhere.
For at least a week, the Windows Mixed Reality headsets store page has show just three headsets, two of which are out of stock. Elsewhere, signs point to the possibility of discontinuation.
Samsung’s official site is no longer list the original Odyssey headset for sale, though continues to show it as a “Support Only Product.” The newer Odyssey+ is still for sale.
At Best Buy, the Dell VR headset is seeing a “clearance” discount, while the Acer VR headset is sold out. (The only other headset available from Best Buy, HP Reverb, is also listed as sold out, but it was just launched and we know that more stock is due in July)
On Amazon US, the Dell, HP (original), Lenovo, and Acer VR headsets are all listed as having “Only X left in stock,” with most showing in the single digits. The Asus headset is “currently unavailable,” while the original Odyssey headset appears to be in good stock.
At Dell’s online store, searching ‘mixed reality’ returns results for the Odyssey+, HTC Vive, Vive Pro, and DAQRI smart glasses, but not the company’s own VR headset. At the online stores of Lenovo, Acer, and Asus, I’ve also been unable to find product pages where the headsets could be purchased. HP’s original VR headset appears in stock at the company’s online store.
Considering the underlying similarities between the headsets, it’s possible that a common component is short on stock and has caused manufacturing delays for a slew of Windows VR headsets. It also seems plausible that many of the headsets have been discontinued as Microsoft and its hardware partners have shown minimal enthusiasm for the VR side of the Windows Mixed Reality Platform in the years following its launch.
Road to VR contacted Microsoft about the disappearance of many of the Windows VR headsets from its store; the company has been in contact but has not offered an official comment on the situation after more than a week.