Thursday, December 17, 2015

News::Microsoft's mixed reality is for developers, not the public

HoloLens, the augmented reality headset Microsoft's been touting as a future pillar of its Windows business, isn't "fun" to use. At least, it wasn't for me during my whirlwind round of developer-focused demos at Microsoft's flagship store in New York. That's to say, any and all comparisons to emerging virtual reality tech and related gaming or entertainment applications should be excised from the conversation for now. It's not "immersive" as one Microsoft rep stressed to me, clearly keen to avoid the confused commingling of AR and VR buzzwords. It's "complementary."

If anything, 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. And as Microsoft demonstrated at its brand new HoloLens developer experience, set to open on the upper floors of its Fifth Avenue shop this Thursday, it's armed with enough proof of concept to make good on its enterprise promise.



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