The HoloLens from Microsoft has been under development for more than 5 years now. And while it has become one of the most speculated devices from the Redmond giant, details about the hardware have been nothing but scarce. Today though, at an event in Tel Aviv, Bruce Harris, a Microsoft Technical Evangelist, gave us an insight on what to expect from the new augmented reality glasses from Microsoft.
The company shared that they will start shipping the HoloLens to developers in the first quarter of this year. The Redmond giant didn’t mention when the hardware will be available for consumer and enterprise clients, though. Microsoft’s initial main targets were businesses, developers and consumers and the company has got one sector covered now.
Harris also stated that the HoloLens is compatible with any universal application that can currently run on Windows 10, out of the box. There will be no wired options available for the device and it will be completely wireless. The VR glasses will be able to give you 5.5 hours of usage under general use and the usage may drop to 2.5 hours under heavy stress. The device will also come with all sorts of connectivity options including WiFi and Bluetooth.
Another interesting feature is the ability to share perspective. Two or more devices can share their views, even if they aren’t nearby, over the Internet. The field of view is compared to that of a 15 inch monitor at 2 feet away from your face. Harris said that this quality issue stands because of the price constraints and battery life. He adds that as manufacturing improves, the company intends to expand the field of view once it makes sense from a pricing perspective.
Microsoft had recently announced the HoloLens Development Edition which would begin shipping in the first quarter of 2016, available by application to developers in the United States and Canada for a list price of US$3000. A single developer could apply for two kits. Kits will be shipped to those selected during this quarter.
