Microsoft is focusing on developers, not the general public, for the latest in HoloLens events and announcements. The good news for the public is that, in doing so, the conversation is shedding light on what is behind HoloLens and what to expect once availability happens.
You’re looking at sessions of mixed reality, not virtual reality. Do not expect to be mentally transported into another world; you remain in a familiar place where virtual characters may join your space. This is an augmented reality headset; some watchers call it an “untethered wearable.” HoloLens works all on its own: all the hardware necessary to run any program is inside the headset. Microsoft’s definition of its HoloLens: The first holographic computer running Windows 10. You get to place holograms in your own physical environment.
From mixed reality to virtual reality, though, the immediate perception of a headset development on the horizon is gaming. Nonetheless, the HoloLens creators point out that it has been engineered for productivity as well as design. Developers can check out HoloLens at the Microsoft store on 5th Avenue in New York City where showcasing has begun.
“With the HoloLens, the ‘cursor’ is your eyes. You look around a real room you’re in and select holographic images that appear in your goggles by hovering the cursor in the middle of your field of vision over the object. To interact with the object, you ‘air tap.’ In front of the goggles by pointing your index finger in the air and making a fast swipe down motion. Voice commands are also at your disposal.” said Bryan Lukfkin in Gizmodo
“HoloLens is very much a powerful tool for business, science and education—both Volvo and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are actively experimenting with it,” said Engadget’s Volpe.
Edward Baig of USA Today found himself shooting at robotic aliens firing at him as he fired back at them, floating around, hiding inside the walls. He could see them through a built-in X-ray feature. Those were games; Lufkin described a demo which indicated how businesses and other organizations may use HoloLens for presentations. “The idea here is that you can replace boring PowerPoints with holograms. …In the demo, I stepped into a fictional boardroom pitch for a luxury watch. I looked at real table in the room and saw a large hologram watch blown up to the size of a golden retriever…I could move the cursor with my eyes to different points of interest on the watch. When I looked at the band, a pop up told me what the links were made of. In another spot I was given info about the battery.”
“What I can tell you is that the technology is ‘mindblowing,’ said Baig. He said that “when digital becomes part of the physical and vice versa, the most promising reality is that you’re in for a treat.”
Said Michael Nuñez in Popular Science: “It’s true that the HoloLens already has all of necessary computing power to be used as a legitimate productivity tool. Now all it needs is a killer app.” HoloLens is powered by a CPU, graphics process unit (GPU), and “holographic processing unit” (HPU), which interprets and processes data from the device’s sensor array. The development edition will ship in the first quarter of 2016, for $3000. http://techxplore.com/news/2015-12-hololens.html
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