Asus VivoPC X is a VR-ready desktop that's smaller than an Xbox
The Asus VivoPC X isn't just paying lip service to VR -- this $799 (roughly £650, AU$1,100) machine has two HDMI ports to make headset hookups easy.
Companies love to say their gaming PCs are the size of a game console. It's almost never true -- but the new Asus VivoPC X really is smaller than an Xbox One .
As long as we're talking about one of the beefy original Xbox One game consoles , anyhow. It's definitely a tad bigger than an Xbox One S , and substantially bigger than a PS4 Slim. Here, see for yourself:
And yet, despite that console-like footprint and a reasonable $799 price (roughly £650, AU$1,100 converted) the VivoPC X is a fully fledged Windows 10 PC that's ready for VR.
Sure, its seventh-gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics won't give you the highest fidelity VR experiences imaginable -- the 1060 is on the low-end of the VR totem pole compared to the much more powerful 1070 and 1080 chipsets -- but Asus says this PC is fully certified for the Oculus Rift.
Plus, it comes standard with a 512GB solid state drive (of the M.2 SATA variety) instead of relying on wimpy spinning magnetic storage . That's unusually generous for the price, and you can fit a hard drive too if you really want.
The VivoPC X even fixes one of my pet peeves with most "VR-ready" desktops by including two HDMI ports instead of just one -- meaning you can easily plug in a VR headset and a TV or HDMI monitor at the same time.
With the CPU and graphics chips seemingly baked into the motherboard, it's not a PC you'll be able to upgrade down the road -- but that's the price you pay for such a small computer. Asus says it should be available in the US this March.