After all the virtual reality and augmented reality projects we've seen from Microsoft Research, the news doesn't surprise us too much, but that doesn't make it any less extraordinary. During the Windows 10 presentation, the Redmond giant shared with the public something that could rewrite the rules of virtual space: the HoloLens headset.
For a while now I've wondered whether there's any chance of using the Rift headset as an alternative to a monitor. To find out, we first need the headset to reach the market (Oculus can pick up the gauntlet whenever it wants), but software support shouldn't be left behind. Until now, virtual headsets have been presented as parallel accessories, keeping a certain distance from operating systems. Yesterday, things changed. Microsoft announced its consumer preview of Windows 10, but also revealed what might be one of its boldest bets. The roots of this project can be traced back to the early days of what eventually became Kinect. Its name is HoloLens.
Microsoft has no problem calling the content 'holograms', but we know well that from a technical point of view they are not. In fact, both the HoloLens headset and the Windows Holographic environment are more inclined toward augmented reality. Still, we need to be fair here. Calling HoloLens a simple virtual headset almost sounds like an insult. What Microsoft has created is a wearable computer, completely independent of other systems and sensors (you don't need to connect it to your PC), which has a dedicated processor called the Holographic Processing Unit or HPU. HoloLens tracks the user's eye movements and recognizes gestures with its integrated cameras, without external help. The main demos were HoloStudio, something like a '3D Paint' that lets you create multiple objects in three dimensions without prior CAD knowledge (and that can be exported to a 3D printer), and the OnSite app, which as the promo video reveals could help with repairs and exploring places as remote as the planet Mars. Exactly what we've been asking of augmented reality for years.
Needless to say, HoloLens is still in its infancy. Voice commands, gesture recognition, visual tracking, augmented reality, virtual reality, and three-dimensional environments form a very complex equation that won't have a correct solution in the short term, and Microsoft knows it. Release? The only thing Redmond offered was "within the timeframe of Windows 10". If we consider that the average support for a Windows version lasts eleven years, well... I guess we'll be waiting a while.
