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.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews

When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.

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Sean Hollister

Jan. 3, 2017 4:56 p.m. PT

2 min read

The VivoPC X, next to a monitor and keyboard. Yep, it's small.
Asus

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.

Four USB 3.1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports mean no shortage of jacks for the Rift's external sensors. Plus Gigabit Ethernet, two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Asus

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.