Microsoft HoloLens Rumors: Specs, Release Date, and Price (VIDEO)
Microsoft officially unveiled its smart-glass HoloLens headset at its Windows 10 event in January, and rumors have emerged it will be available for developers by mid-2016.
With Redmond, Washington tech multinational Microsoft embarking into its first augmented reality technology via its Windows Holographic, the company first introduced its cordless and optical head mounted device called the HoloLens early this year, featuring its own Windows 10 computer encapsulated within the headpiece and a high-definition stereoscopic 3D display.
Allowing users to utilize augmented reality applications using eye movements, hand gestures, and voice, the HoloLens projects images within the user's view, unlike upcoming VR headsets, which include the soon-to-be-released Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Project Morpheus, that propel users into a separate virtual world.
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Based on the prototype introduced in January, the HoloLens will come with a clear visor and a see-through eyepiece with holographic HD lenses. It is expected either to have a full 1080p HD display or a 4K display, depending on various rumors.
Footage presented during its unveiling show what users will be able to see when they put on and activate the HoloLens, suggesting a narrow field of view confined to the central area of the device's lenses.
Speculations put a future Intel Atom processor functioning as the HoloLens' CPU, including a wireless charging feature and RealSense gesture control, which allows expansive hands-free interaction.
The HoloLens may also incorporate Intel's WiDi technology to wirelessly stream apps, videos, and movies, as well as a "Holographic Processing Unit" to handle the integration of real and virtual objects.
While Microsoft has not confirmed any release date for the HoloLens, except to say it will be available "in the same timeframe as Windows 10," speculations have put the headset's release for developers in the middle of next year. For consumers, however, a commercial release may arrive as late as 2020 with a price point ranging from $500 to $1,500, if rumors prove to be true.
