As is usually the case the week of CES is a flurry of tech information, some news bigger than others. During Dell’s CES 2018 press conference it revealed a retail partnership with HTC Vive, then quietly unveiled a secondary deal with augmented reality (AR) company META to sell its META 2 headset. Today, Dell has announced several new details including price and availability.
The deal means Dell will be first reseller of the Meta 2 AR Development Kit, aiming to make AR more accessible for business deployment, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing and construction, by providing tools for creating immersive experiences unique to the needs of those industries.
The new offering with Meta stems from Dell’s VR/AR Technology Partner Program allowing it to help current and potential customers to better navigate the new and rapidly evolving VR/AR ecosystem. The Meta 2 Augmented Reality Development Kit will make the Meta AR headset compatible with a number of Dell professional PCs, including Dell Precision workstations and Dell Canvas, as well as bundle the products together for purchase.
“We’re excited about this new partnership with Meta and the opportunity to further transform industries with AR,” said Rahul Tikoo, Vice President and General Manager, Dell Precision workstations in a statement. “There continues to be tremendous potential for VR and AR across various industries and in addition to building technology powerful enough for the job, we’re also committed to working with our innovative partners to make AR more comprehensive and accessible for our commercial customers to explore and adopt.”
If you’re interested in purchasing the development kit it will be available for sale on Dell.com starting 15th February 2018 for $1,495 USD. For that price you get:
- Meta 2 AR Headset
- Access to Unity SDK (Beta)
- Access to Meta Developer Center
- Headset Stand
- 2 Exchangeable Forehead Supports
- 2 Handwashable Forehead Support Pads
- Microfiber Bag
- AC Adapter
- Universal Adapter Plug Kit – Set of 4
- Access to Detailed Instructions
Dell’s retail partnership with HTC Vive and META continues its ongoing support for the VR and AR industries, having launched its Dell Visor as part of Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality headset programme. For the latest details about Dell, keep reading VRFocus.