When Microsoft first made the first Hololens, there was plenty of hype accompanying the company’s first attempt for an augmented reality wearable. That hype quickly tuned into masses of speculation, as there were some glaring issues with both the hardware and software that were never resolved. Today, Microsoft announced that they are finally shipping out the second version of the Hololens, the Hololens 2.
This headset has matched and surpassed the amount of hype the first version got. With a wider field of view, more accurate hand and finger tracking, and a longer battery life, this AR headset is shaping up to be the virtual assistant that is going to be used all sorts of business work and personal fun. This headset is priced at $3,500.
From the moment you put the headset on for the first time, it gets to know you better than most others do. It starts by measuring your distance between your eyes, and then moves to mapping your hands exactly how they are shaped. This technology was incredibly hard to get into the headset. Jamie Shotton, a partner scientist who helps lead the Hololens team said that this headset finally feels “instinctual.”
“We want you to know how to use HoloLens without having to be taught how to use it,” he said. “We know how to interact with things in the real, physical world: We pick things up, we press buttons, we point to things. We aim, as far as possible, to translate that directly into mixed reality.”
None of this would be as effective as it is without eye-tracking of course, and the Hololens does that better than most. Shotton goes on to say that “Without eye tracking, aligning holograms to the real world – especially the person’s physical hand – would just be impossible to the level of precision needed to allow instinctual interaction.”
Eye tracking, gesture detection, and an AI powerful enough to change the world is all you need in this headset. If you are interested in buying one, you will be able to. This headset won’t be limited to business and enterprises like the last one was.
Buying Your Hololens
Microsoft is offering three different versions of the Hololens 2, although all of them will be boosting the same powerful hardware. The first is the Hololens 2 with the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist. This offers financing for the device per user, on-call support teams to help you work with your new and powerful device, and no development required. If you are just getting into AR and the power the headsets have, this is a great starting point.
The next is the Device Only option. This is for people more comfortable with the technologies that are inside the headset and have a confident approach with how they are going to utilize the hardware and software presented to you. If you have or had the first version of this AR headset, this will be the best option for you. No extra fees and a one-time payment. You know what you will be getting yourself into.
The next and last option is for those who are interested in and capable of furthering the AR technology and the apps that are inside these headsets. There is a purchase limit with this version, as you are only able to purchase one per user. The other two options don’t have the same conditions. This version of the headset will also be coming with a $500 credit for Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform for developers. On top of all of this, you will get three free months of Unity Pro and PiXYZ Plugin. This is the ultimate developer package.
