A bit like something out of their Future Vision videos, Microsoft’s Windows Holographic software and HoloLens hardware look to enable many of the augmented reality dreams technologists like myself have been imagining for years.
Truly I’m excited about this platform, and I’m keen to try out the product as soon as I possibly can, but I still have a large amount of questions.
What happens if you put your hand ‘in front’ of a hologram?
If you have a virtual 80 inch TV screen – what resolution does it have?
Can you stream Xbox games to it?
How long does the battery last?
Can other people hear the audio from the speakers located on the side?
How hot is the air that comes out of the vents?
How well does it work with glasses?
Will there be a holographic version of PowerShell?
It may be a while until all our questions are answered, but until then I’m going to simply imagine the possibilities this new form of computing will bring. Check out the videos below and have a look at Microsoft’s website to get an idea of what’s coming.
As someone who is always trying to simplify and keep things minimalistic, I always question new technologies to decide if they’re really worth investing in. One part of my believes I already have enough computing devices, but another part yearns to try new technology and find new ways to interact with the digital world. The HoloLens definitely seems like something I’m going to want to experience.
Will it be a success? Only time will tell. But future versions of the hardware will no doubt be smaller, and have better field of view. One day this kind of thing will simply be built into a normal pair of glasses – but that’s a little way off.
More to come soon.