HoloLens vs Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus: differences between alternate realities

Microsoft's HoloLens offers something radically different from Oculus VR and Sony. Who has the best chance to win the battle for our future alternate reality?

[lelo2play]

Out of the three, HoloLens looks like the most interesting and promising... but it's all going to depend on the software made for the devices.

[Angeljuice]

HoloLens has more real-world advantages (business and commercial advantages), but is very limited with regards to gaming. For gameplay advantages, VR is way more interesting.

[Death]

I disagree. The whole premise behind VR is to create a virtual world. AR takes the existing world and adds to it. There will be some worlds that can only be created in VR. Processing an entire world and characters is a much more daunting task then processing characters in the existing world. Using AR in your home will be much more limiting than using AR in an environment made for AR.

I hate using Pokémon as an example, but playing in VR would require a VR arena, a VR player, and of course all of the characters used in VR. If you want to add cards, those need created too.

Now try it in AR. You need an open room, depending on how this tech actually works, the bigger the area, the bigger the holo characters can be. You still see yourself so that means the player and environment don't need created. Players can have real collectible cards that can be played via Kinect and a QR code. Holographs can be used to alter the players surroundings too.

Both VR and AR will have their strengths and weakness, but I am more interested in AR which will use much less processing power and have less restrictions. It all comes down to how devs use the tech.

[uptownsoul]

All Project Morpheus needs is a front facing camera and then it can do BOTH VR & AR

[BC_Master_Haze]

2 front facing cameras actually, or the tech behind hololens wouldn't work. Even then they wouldn't be high enough quality without driving the cost up a lot, it wouldn't really work well at all :P nothing looks more real than our eyes.

[aerisbueller]

"HoloLens looks like the most interesting and promising"

translation: "I own an XBox One"

HoloLens looks cool as hell, and I will get one for Windows, but I will certainly get an Oculus first.

[Spid3r6]

VR is limited for real world applications since you are enclosed and are unable to do anything else with it besides gaming and entertainment, that equals less sales wich equals less support....AR will have many uses and will be adopted much quicker if at the right price point. All have different experience and all are intriguing.

[lelo2play]

Fanboys!!!!

I own a PC and PS4. Probably get later on a X1. Happy now?

VR has been out for such a long time, nobody has got it right. Until someone gets it right, I'm not hyped for VR.
Augmented Reality (AR) is at least something different... witch doesn't mean Microsoft will automaticly get it right.

[BC_Master_Haze]

So you're saying you already know that Microsoft got AR right? Just like they got kinect right? Until I see it, no one has "got it right", and believe me, oculus has "got it right".

[Fatal-Aim]

HoloLens vs Morpheus

Is this even a contest? All Sony would have to do is add a camera to the front of Morpheus and this alone would allow the head mount to do AR in a full 360 degrees. If you used the Vita's rear camera, you'll know what i'm talking about. Now, if you used the PSeye for the PS3, this steps the notch up even more when you use it in Wonder Book: book of spells, book of potions, nightcrawler, and walking with dinosaurs or even eye pet.

You don't need cards to make a lot of the features work, but when you do, they work pretty well. Since the PS4 camera is more advance as well as the system, you can make more happen in the AR world -- especially with an AR/VR head mount combo. With this combo, you can merge BOTH WORLDS similar to wonder book:walking with dinosaurs but far more compkex.

[Svinya]

no

[Dewitt]

This is not even close to the same thing, also the retail model will be wireless and have self contained hardware, good luck having the morpheus capable of doing all that. Also, it is already compatible with a mouse/keyboard so the potential is limitless.

http://www.rockpapershotgun...

"When I walk towards a nearby desk with a computer, I notice that that Martian landscape disappears beneath it, rather than projecting over it; users can designate areas where they don’t want holograms to appear, which is especially useful if you want to interact with the holograms using a computer. They encourage me to hold the mouse, and when I move the cursor off the screen, it appears suddenly within the holograph as though the Martian landscape has become an extension of my desktop."

[BC_Master_Haze]

Jesus, do you not know how AR works? You realize it reads the environment as a 3D area, it would need 2 cameras, like kinect and the PS4 camera, and having cameras of such quality which would make the world around you realistic would double costs easily. There's a difference between the cameras used for scanning environments and those used for protecting environments, the image quality is much different.

[SniperControl]

HoloLens is Augmented Reality(AR), Rift and Morpheus are Virtual Reality(VR), there's the difference, this is a pointless comparison as they are different technologies.

[MasterCornholio]

I agree. They really cant be compared to each other because they VR and AR have different objectives.

VR is all about placing you in a virtual environment while AR focuses on adding virtual objects to our current environment.

[Volkama]

But one of the tech demonstrations placed the user on the surface of Mars, so there is definitely some overlap and they can be compared in that context

[beans]

Yeah it's silly to compare the two. I do wish MS would have entered the VR world but surely they have reason not to yet. This AR is much better than they illumniroom stuff they were showing awhile back. I'm all for holograms and can see this working with movies for a true connection with the screen as well as live phone calls star wars style.

[SaveFerris]

Could AR be used as shown in the Minority Report movie? There was the scene where Tom Cruise is using gloves to flip through footage, or where he is watching the memories of his family projected on a wall in his home.

[falviousuk]

Or have a completely empty room, all in white and put on the glasses for a full immersive experience. Just don't walk into the walls.

Can see something like this for next gen arcades.

Play doom or COD wearing something like this in a room with no furniture

[Svinya]

That's exactly what AR is. Yes, you could do the same.

[ScorpiusX]

I am an Xbox one & a PC owner so am going with Hololens. Due to the fact those two devices will be more accommodating to Hololens.

[Fishy Fingers]

Hololens is a standalone unit. It doesn't require a PC (or XB1).

[telekineticmantis]

Like I said before AR has much more practical applications, it will sell much more, VR is more for entertainment.

[Deathdeliverer]

As this is a gaming site and games are for entertainment, wouldn't the more entertaining option be more appealing?

[Razjin]

Everyone getting hype over this but it's not that innovating when phones, smart tables, handhelds even consoles do this already except putting it on your head. For those wanting this for Xbox One please don't push Microsoft for this because as of late what has kinect done for gaming on the xbox brand. This would be ideal for maybe concept artist or animators but nothing serious like a real hologram would be.

[Death]

What has Move done for gaming? What has the blue light on our Dualshocks done for gaming other than wear the battery down faster? What has Morpheus done for gaming?

I'm not sure why you don't want AR or even Kinect "pushed" when both technologies along with VR are new and untapped for gaming. If you can't see the uses for AR in gaming you only have your imagination to blame.

[Razjin]

See the thing with move was that it was only marketed once for the ps3 life cycle as suppose to xbox kinect which is marketed since 360 to xbox one. Also it not just a blue light but a variety of lights indicating different players, in-game reactions, Morpheus incorporation, AR uses and yes it wears the battery down but there is so many different variable to giving one's play time with a DS4 controller. If Morpheus mean VR in general was on shelves and out to consumers then you could argue that but AR is already out there in the world. At this stage it's unnecessary for the xbox one to push for it especially when they need to first establish ground with a better install base. They should have just work on it in the background and then release it on the next console having an advantage over competitor with more advance tech to use. Don't get me wrong it's a great thing but I rather see them push out good software at this point than tech.

[Angeljuice]

The light on the DS4 does have uses. I was recently playing Metro and the.devs programmed the light to flash in synch with the flickering lights in dark rooms, it worked a lot like illumiroom was intended to, very atmospheric.

[joeorc]

@Razjin

while what you stated, for the majority i can agree with, offering say a AR realtime strategy game of say giant mechs than are say each about a 3 foot tall that you can move on the floor would be pretty cool..lol

but you are correct, that its not very new in its innovative since smart phones and tablets, esp with 3d camera phone like the LG thrill would in fact duplicate such functionality they are going for over at Microsoft. Not that its such a bad thing, because i think its a pretty. Cool functionality for gaming in my opinion.

[Razjin]

Yea I can see this being use for rts games and building games like minecraft or learn programs for children but nothing serious as a hardcore gamer would like to participate in.

[joeorc]

@Razjin

100% completely agree, and the fact a VR mine craft would be cool in concept, do you imagine how much area space you would need to employ for such a game..LOL, I mean top view zoomed/in and out functionality sure to to make it a full size..LMAO

but it sure would be freaking awesome, maybe super impose blocks over all objects could in effect indeed work, but it would require lots of predictive templates..lol

[kstuffs]

And yet no one else has it. Weird.

[joeorc]

You really seem so sure of yourself...LMAO

Here take a look, well before what Microsoft showed off.

http://www.laster.fr/techno...

I could show more companies, but I think I just proved my point with a very upfront visual aid.

Here is a picture

http://www.laster.fr/produi...

Back in 2005!

http://www.laster.fr/laster...

And to drive the point home even more in 2013

Take a look at this lil bit of info

Microsoft to present Laster glasses in her show room
Microsoft set up demos based on Laster’s augmented reality solutions in her show room at Microsoft French HQ in Issy les Moulineaux

[strickers]

Minecraft makes more sense in VR than AR. In fact most gaming does.
CAD design in AR makes sense for looking at, but not for doing the design.
Demo was slow and made from preset shapes.
VR makes FAR more sense for games.

[LogicStomper]

Just giving you a heads up, the D in CAD is 'design', so you don't need 'design' after 'CAD'.