Microsoft confirms teasers of a HoloLens sequel appearing at MWC 2019 with the presentation of the, well, HoloLens 2-- an updated on the "mixed reality" headset aimed primarily for use on the job, not the home.
As an upgrade on the first Microsoft headset, the HoloLens 2 offers double the field of view even as it maintains the same 47 pixels per degree of sight. The company does not give exact numbers on the matter, instead saying it is the equivalent of moving from a 720p TV to a 2K set for each eye. The headset tracks the retinas to work out what the user is looking at, and uses a new "time-of-flight" depth sensor to track the hands without need for a controller.
The HoloLens 2 also promises to be more comfortable, thanks to a new carbon-fibre material and a mechanism allowing one to wear the device without readjustment. Vapor chamber technology takes care of cooling, and Microsoft promises the design accounts for a wide range of head shapes and sizes through a dial-in fit system.
Interestingly, MWC 2019 sees another piece of Microsoft hardware making the leap from consumer to enterprise-- the Azure Kinect Developer Kit is a shrunken down version of the Kinect featuring the same time-of-flight sensor as the HoloLens 2. A record breaking piece of gaming hardware back in the Xbox 360 days, the Kinect became increasingly unpopular in the Xbox One generation due to a combination fo bundling and lack of games. Now it will help developers build solutions featuring advanced computer vision and speech solutions in conjunction with the Azure cloud.
Has Microsoft given up on the consumer mixed reality dream? It depends on whether HoloLens 2 finds success in enterprise space, not to mention if Magic Leap takes over the other side of the market.
