A beta version of Windows 10 now includes support for a pass-through video mode for Windows VR headsets, allowing users to look out at the world around them through the headset’s on-board cameras.
The update includes a new feature for Windows VR headsets called ‘Mixed Reality Flashlight’. Activated either through a voice command or a controller shortcut, the Mixed Reality Flashlight makes two circular video windows into the real world appear before the user; each window is positioned based on where the user is pointing their controller. The video seen through the windows comes from the headset’s on-board cameras, which have up until this point been reserved solely for inside-out tracking. The HTC Vive and Vive Pro have a similar function, though it goes widely unused, likely due to the ‘tron mode’ filter which is applied by default and low resolution.
...the pass-through video is monochrome, likely because the cameras on the headset don’t have any color sensors (in order to devote as much of the camera sensor as possible to resolution and dynamic range which is important for the inside-out tracking). Microsoft says the video portals are “low-latency,” but doesn’t offer more detail.