Reality Check - Did Microsoft just make VR obsolete?

Clearly the 2 technologies are different, and there are significant advantages to both. However, that certainly doesn’t mean that both ideas will be able to thrive in tandem. Consumers and businesses will make a choice, and there is every chance that one of these concepts will fall by the wayside.

[Dewitt]

You can have it scan your room and choose where you want to place holograms or if you want to completely eliminate the objects from the space.

"“Is it real?” I ask. I’m looking around at the landscape of Mars, where a dusty, rocky desert stretches in every direction, reddish mountains rising in the distance. It looks so vivid, so strangely plausible that it’s hard to believe that I’m actually looking at the surface of another planet and not the set of a sci-fi movie."

Also, you can turn any space including walls in the house into a huge projection screen, viewing your gaming content in a completely unique way.

"More interesting than the bats, however, is what the explosion leaves behind: a digital breach in the wall that seems to open up a window into a whole other little world lined with veins of ore. I want to keep going, digging deep into the wall to find out what other treasures it contains, but the men from Microsoft politely inform me that there isn’t time. Reluctantly, I walk back to the chair where they will reclaim the HoloLens, dropping as many torches as I can en route with frantic Redrum gestures."

http://www.rockpapershotgun...

[Volkama]

So far there are no tech demoes that allow you to move around any area beyond the confines of the room though. The Mars one in particular, let you see well into the distance but obviously you couldn't walk to it, and there was no way to move beyond those confines.

Maybe moving around with a control pad will be intuitive and fine. Maybe the headset lacks the hardware resources to do that. Maybe seeing Mars move but not the room screws with the mind.

Being able to move around will be pretty critical a lot of types of game...

[Dewitt]

"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."

Did you even read the article? It is fully compatible with a mouse/keyboard at this stage, of course it will compatible with the XB1 controller and many other peripherals.

[Volkama]

Yes, but I read another article where it was confirmed that you cannot move around the surface of Mars right now. They said they hope to implement that feature later.

Using a keyboard an mouse around a static area does not address the point, unless you could click-to-move or drag your way around the terrain and right now you can't....

Not really after an argument though. I'm sure we'll see more of what HoloLens can do before long.

[Death]

Don't the same rules apply to VR? How much walking around are you doing completely blind? You can move with the controller, but you are stationary. I would imagine the most optimal place to use either technology would be a large open room. AR has the ability to change the landscaping and layout if the room is free from obstructions.

[Volkama]

@Death at the moment AR does not allow you to move around with a controller while being physically stationary. That wasn't featured in any of the 4 tech demoes, including the surface of mars.

It seems like it should be an obvious thing, and maybe it wasn't deemed worth showing but it is a little curious in it's absence so far.

[iNFAMOUZ1]

id like both, but i see myself loving vr more, i have to see if ar is fun or not, but as of right now at least for me vr takes the cake, cause your whole field of view is another world, you can get lost in, and ar well your still in your world with virtual stuff popping up, have to wait and see on ar

[mhunterjr]

No. They are two completely different approaches asn they both have their own merits. I can think of tons of scenario's that could be done with Hololens that couldn't be done with a VR headset. I can think of tons of scenario's that could be done with VR, that couldn't be done with Hololens in its current state...

Depending on the final resolution and FOV of the AR display however, theoretically, MS's AR goggle's could produce a hologram that encompasses your entire peripheral vision, making it effectively a VR device as well... The current build however, had a tiny FOV compared to the VR HMDs.

[medman]

VR is more immersive, and would be what I personally prefer, to get lost in a game world or non gaming experience...but I would like to play around with AR too. There is a market for both....I for one am glad to see Sony and Microsoft doing different things with the technology.

[Death]

I disagree VR is more immersive. To me, blending fantasy with reality is much more immersive. With AR, you are still you and not an avatar. How can you get more immersive than reality? I will agree you can escape reality more with VR, but that is the opposite effect.

[rainslacker]

Think it depends on what the developer is trying to achieve. If the dev is making a fantasy world, then you certainly don't want to see your ratty couch and gerbil cage while fighting a dragon in a cave.

If the dev wants to make a horror game that takes place in your living room, then AR would probably work better.

However, there is no reason that VR HMD's couldn't do what AR ones do, but would likely require some kind of camera on the unit.

In the end, I still think this hololens is just projecting images over the environment like current AR does, and it's not actually holographic at all. This means the images will always be 2D, and the 3D is simulated in real time. If that's the case, lag could cause some of the same problems we see with VR headsets.

[MonsterChef]

I don't get your logic here, you seem to have a strong belief that a game developer is going to specially make for you a game that's tailored to your house do you see the logic of that. "Ohh ar is so more immeressive I'm in my house running from a monster"and there goes another element that brings a problem what's your weapon what can you use do you have to use your gamingpad (knocking off the immersive feel) or does it incorporate real objects into virtual ar objects again knocking the immersion but seeing your a Microsoft fanboy anything they do is the greatest thing since slice bread

[SmokingMonkey]

Other than Minecraft on your table top, what type of games do you think AR will bring?

VR crushes AR

VR is closer to getting jacked in to Matrix (closer)

AR is closer to taking acid in your living room, your not going anywhere.

[Outthink_The_Room]

I saw someone say tabletop gaming like board games. I think that's awesome and could kind of "modernize" how we would play those types of things. Hearthstone is another type of game that would be cool with this. The whole PathFinder RPG stuff might work digitally as well. UI for stats in real time? Not bad.

Here's the issue I have with all these articles about HoloLens. Literally almost EVERY article leaves out.........eye tracking.

MS demoed the HoloLens with eye tracking. That alone puts this in a very unique category.

Imagine being able to play an RTS game without a mouse. You could theoretically, set up the UI in a box shape where you "click" specific tasks with a glance.

You could also theoretically play something like The Walking Dead or even a Quantic Dream type game without a controller. Those stupid QTEs we all hate would almost not be needed. Point and Click would be replaced with Look and Choose.

I really feel like the eye tracking aspect has been very underplayed. Maybe it's not available in the demo units, so journalists couldn't speak about it. But it was definitely shown in the original demo. Really needs to be brought up in conversations more, since that is a very unique aspect for MS, compared to competitors.

[Death]

What other games can you do with AR? Horror games in your home would be pretty scary. How about a card battle game like Pokémon or Magic where you can see the creatures you summon to battle? Interactive learning content such as Dora or any of the other shows geared towards children. As you mentioned, Minecraft is a natural. Any game like Candy Crush or Tetris for old people like me. I would kill for life sized animated Battle chess. Fighting games are a given too since most are done in a single environment.

Let's talk about AR as a second screen to traditional gaming. What the limit to running monitors you want surrounding your main screen? As cool as it is having 3 screens for driving games, I wouldn't mind more with less seams. I have no problem with seeing a 3D Cortana pop up on my coffee table while playing Halo either. What about seeing your Ghost actually hovering next to you in Destiny while playing?

I honestly see more creativity and immersion with AR and can think of more uses for it. Some are small, some can be very large.

[SmokingMonkey]

"How about a card battle game like Pokémon or Magic where you can see the creatures you summon to battle?"

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

check it out, it's not that fun.

This tech is awesome for applications; imagine a teacher looking over a classroom with children's bio/grades/needs!
Or a Surgeon!

Gaming will be limited.

[MonsterChef]

That card battle game you talk about is it the eye of judgement using the PlayStation eye from last generation? And that survival horrer game how does a developer plan to make your house of the millions of house's in the US alone a game level with a purpose to advance the game? Be real here this tech is awesome for the hundreds of other things it brings to the table (displays on the table) but gaming isn't one of them you have to be real here there is to many variables in ones own environment that will severly handicap any game design using ar

[Psychotica]

Strip poker, where the girl appears to be sitting on your couch.

[MrDead]

VR, where the girl appears to be sitting on your fac..... I best not finish this sentence.

[rainslacker]

I can see a lot of supplemental stuff being put onto this display, which admittedly could be simulated with a VR headset since it would display the game image.

Things like a HUD, those little NPC popup videos that come up once in a while, flashes for when an explosion happens near you, flying debris from said explosions, randomly floating stuff in the environment to increase immersion, etc.

Other than that, almost everything that the AR lens can do, VR can do. The reverse is true as well. VR can do AR features, but would require a supplemental camera on the HMD.

[Hoffmann]

Do you remember...Milo?

Well I do.

@Microsoft and their Videos.

[Kavorklestein]

This is a little different. They had much more being SHOWN, and people had hands on time with Hololens as well. Milo was cool, but I think it never really came to be because that wasn't really a GAME. It was just a way of showing off potential possibilities/capabilities with the kinect. It's not Microsoft's fault that nobody really made any 'killer app' kinect games.

As far as this goes, it's a lot more practical for use in the future of gaming because it can easily work as VR AND AR (make a plastic shielding attachment that blacks out the entire lens, and PRESTO) and also has eye tracking, on the first prototype- that right there is the kind of R&D only the biggest of tech giants in the world can attempt.
The fact that it should easily be able to do VR and AR is like Oculus rift 2.0... I mean if Oculus wasn't so far from actually BEING something, then I would say THEY are the big dog in the dog pen... but M.S. just took the thunder away from Oculus.. not only have they one upped Oculus AND morpheus, they made a far more exciting piece of hardware and it's more practical in every single way. High and low level apps that have varying uses, varying amounts of AR/VR content, and is supported by a userbase/market that is unified through Windows 10, Xbox one, mobile, tablets, etc.. with ONE headset... That beats Oculus because O.R. is pc only. Morpheus is PS4 only. Samsung gear is MOBILE only.. With HoloLens, you get A headset that is the most compatible, the most versatile, and the most IMPRESSIVE headset we've ever seen, and BAM! Microsoft has taken everyone's ideas, improved them, and gotten us to say WOW in a bigger way than any other VR reveals or demos, AND they did it BEFORE Sony AND Oculus could even get their acts together.

And THAT, is why supporting Microsoft never bothers me... They can basically do whatever they want.
Nevermind the fact that Cortana poops all over Siri-
MS came out proving that Software CAN significantly improve hardware, that they CAN compete with and completely destroy ANYTHING Apple has ever done or conceived, that rhey can offer the biggest and broadest entertainment spectrum ever assembled, and threw in a headset that will be able to stop the other two VR contenders in their tracks.

I may have issues with certain things they do or have done, but I knew as soon as I played Hover! On my dad's computer with windows 95 that I had found a exciting company to follow and learn about for the rest of my life.

Microsoft is a big step ahead of the curve on this one guys, there's no other way to put it. Any other opinion is just straight up denial.

[Hoffmann]

I just prefer to wait and see it really in use before I get hyped again and rather dissapointed a bit later.

[Kavorklestein]

@Hoffman- fair enough. Cautiously optimistic is never a bad way to go.
I was cautiously optimistic about this Windows 10 event, not really sure exactly what or how much we would see, and after seeing the full event, I left it feeling completely amazed.

I'm sure that we are some time away from seeing any of this being READY for retail, but the broad options and versatility this headset offers is second to none.

Oculus may have some hope, but Morpheus- especially being so limited in practical uses and devices that are compatible with it, makes it almost pointless to release. I think Sony will delay Morpheus and go back to the drawing board for a while. Sure, people will buy morpheus, but it's lasting impression will fade long before HoloLens's will- AND Morpheus's first impressions look like preschool material in comparison.

And then, there's the Billions of dollars MS could be throwing many developers direction to create apps or games. That makes me feel like HoloLens has a better chance of actually RELEASING and staying supported.

Especially when we look at the past and see how many games came out with Move support vs. Games with Kinect support. Sure, we never really got a KILLER app for kinect, but it still is and was more supported than Eyetoy and P.S.Move combined.

I think the timing of this is perfect, at the beginning of a generation of new consoles, on the cusp of a new O.S. -one with a free cpu upgrade built into the software.

M.s. Unifying devices and platform$, features like cross play came out swinging at Valve's PC market, makes remote play on a Vita look like a waste of money compared to tablets and phones... the devices that are poised to replace handhelds. (at least Sony's handhelds) The Windows 10 o.s. + Cortana takes swings at apple's pathetic attempts at EVERYTHING, and Hololens swings at Sony and Oculus.

Ms hit it out of the park to be quite honest... the only thing I can say that would have made it better is to show more live demos with HoloLens, but we've still got all year folks. But this is only JANUARY- clearly we have exciting things in store if they are making these announcements already, GDC? E3? Ohh yeahh... I'm excited.

[tlougotg]

VR is just more immersive point blank. I look forward to both but im on that VR band wagon for what its offering in terms of immersion.

[telekineticmantis]

YES. For the larger consumer base, this makes VR obsolete. Proof? Everybody is talking about this on YouTube, right now. I said over and over, even before the Prototype SR, that Sony should make a VR/AR headset. I believe there were articles back then about the Prototype SR and the minority report style applications it could have, now Microsoft has created that, and have creative ways of applying it, they (Sony) are always last place in these things, they never fully flush out their ideas, they take a risk, and do the bare minimum.

Microsofts cloud gaming will squash PS Now, by fully flushing out that concept, Kinect squashed Move, by fully flushing out that concept, If Microsoft created a phone/handheld like I said the vita should be, they'd squash vita, and Hololens will crush Morpheus, by fully flushing out that concept.

[SaveFerris]

But why did Phil Spencer half-flush Kinect 2 for the Xbox One?

[daxter1919]

Augmented Reality is an old tecnology already available on portable console and smartphone.

And there are already other AR Glasses available. Look "AR Glasses" on Google.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[telekineticmantis]

I don't understand why people dont like to read. "VR/AR headset".

[rainslacker]

VR has much wider appeal. So what if people are talking about it now? People talked about google glass as well, yet how many times have you seen someone using one in real life? If you're like me, the answer is not once.

It's cool tech, but it's not new tech. I think some people are thinking this is actual holographic technology, and I'm skeptical on that.

Sony may be behind on this stuff, but at least they're pursuing a technology that people understand and have had exposure to for several decades, and even longer in sci-fi. AR has been around for ten years, and outside of the novelty factor, and for party/kids games, no one really cares after the novelty factor wears off. On top of that, VR has had developers working on content for years for mainstream release. Right now they're just waiting for them to release to the mainstream public. AR doesn't really have that, so even if Sony is behind, they're at least following the trend instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

[SaveFerris]

I see gaming with AR as being able to have the game in your room (instead of just in the monitor/TV). VR is more like you being in the game.
Both will give new experiences but I think they are suited to different types of games. For example, AR could be great with a RTS game as you could control units on a map projected on a wall or floor. With VR you would be the General on the ground issuing orders, or you could be a soldier fighting on the front lines similar to Sword Art Online.

[IQUITN4G]

I'm very much for VR but great though it obviously is, it can't offer anything past what it does. As soon as you get your head around what MS actually has here, you realise how much further this goes than simply putting you into a scene- it's way beyond that. To say VR is better is to not see the potential in MS's new tech

[Dudebro90]

It's up the individual. Some will like AR more, some well like VR.

[hkgamer]

ms ar concept is so far away. how can that display so close to your eyes not produce double vision?

it just seems like an idea and they never really thought sbout anything else.

[t-hall785]

...that is until people actually used it and said it was what was advertised.

[aerisbueller]

I wonder if they see the irony of having put 'reality check' in the title.

[stuna1]

Okaay, here we go with 1 tech making another one obsolete! For starters I'm for one am amazed at how suddenly IR has become the coolest thing since sliced bread! Sure now it's being re-introduced in a glass form, the tech is definitely not new, but on that note Microsoft has certainly piqued my interest in how they bring their version to the market as well as how it's applied.

Next what bearing does IR have on VR!? Absolutely none! They are entirely two different concepts. IR is not about total immersion, VR on the other hand is! Both technologies can co-exist on the market and will whether some like it or not.

Right now there are so many different technologies that have yet been brought to the market, but they are out there! Just yesterday I actually saw and interacted with a real Hologram. And guess who in possession of the technology? Apple.....

[wynams]

Yes they did ... MS is making everything obsolete with their own unique sub-par offerings in many technical arenas. Will mosdef put occulus out of business, and with teh cloud and DX12 ... zomg so much power ... think it be Sauron

[rainslacker]

Sometimes it's about who's better at marketing, and not about who makes the best technology.

[Hielkep]

Just a question: Can you make a VR device of the Hololens by placing a (modified) black cap over the device? Would't the only problem then remaining be that Hololens has a very narrow field of view?

[rainslacker]

The lens itself can display a completely opaque image, so no need to place anything over it. But yeah, from what I've seen the field of view isn't as wide as VR.

[Hielkep]

Thanks

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

@"Did Microsoft just make VR obsolete?"

Don't think so

[Pogmathoin]

You could have said something intelligent, have you tried Morpheous? No, but it will be awesome.... Have you tried hololens? No, it will be terrible.... You love Sony, fine, leave the anger somewhere else.....

No, you bring your hate to every MS article.... Do not act like you know what you are talking about. Your just throwing your 2 cents in again, trying to camoflague it as intelligence....

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Augmented Reality did not make Virtual Reality obsolete. Augmented Reality has been around since 1990, Virtual Reality has been around since the mid 1980's. Neither one will ever be obsolete since the private sector and the military have been using both for the past 30 years. How was that? Was this reply to your useless comment intelligent enough for you?

[GNCFLYER]

Omg lol, are these guys serious?

[Gazondaily]

Omg lol read the article

[ainTgoTTime2bleed]

Gotta love the media (specially western)and their biased BS, da cloudssz, dx12szz and now the Holololenssz...lol GTFO!

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Unless Hololens can put you in a full virtual world, then no. The two devices are quite different and I'm looking forward from both of them.

[Brisco]

They definitely did.

[DougLord]

Yes, for the next 5-7 years. VA isn't ready yet, and by the time it is it will be competing with 4k, glassless, OLED, 3D

[uth11]

AR isn't a revolutionary concept. We just used to call it psychedelics /s

[Razjin]

Hololens is meant for business applications no matter how you want to dream about using it for gaming because if they put this on the Xbox One it will suffer the same faith as the Kinect. If you truly know the the xbox brand than you should know why kinect failed and that was because of lack of games and people just lost focus for it. Now this generation it was mandatory at first to have kinect but now you don't have to have it which pretty much puts less pressure on devs to do anything for the device except fitness and dance. Hololens will be no different and will have a few devs make games for it but no one is going to buy an additional hardware for a console if there is not going to be any good software on it without loosing focus on the main console. This is what consumers and gamers will look at when making judgement on the Hololens because of xbox history of not delivering good software with added hardware that is suppose to increase your gaming experience and that can be said about move but Morpheus tittles and Oculus rift titles have more potential than anything AR will be putting out. Maybe if they had started this at the end of the 360 life cycle yes they could make VR obsolete until VR advances again.

[Volkama]

If I had a HoloLens right now I reckon I could put a pretty impressive castle on that wall of text! :p

[Razjin]

My bad :D

[Death]

Last I checked Kinect was the most successful accessory ever released. I'm impressed you consider that to be a failure. Sony didn't have overwhelming support for Move or for the Vita. The PS2's HDD supported one game before that. Why do you feel Morpheus will succeed and Microsoft's AR vision will fail if you are basing your opinion on historical data?

[Razjin]

Well here's my wasted bubble.....You say it's the most successful accessory ever released but how can that be true when indeed the whole Nintendo handheld line-up sells way more than your standard 360 or xbox one to be technical here the 3ds and everything is a handheld console but lets factor in the "Accessories" now Nintendo has sold over 50m units now if you include any accessory they sell with it then that would be more successful than the kinect?? When I say Morpheus will succeed over Microsoft's Ar is because there hasn't been a push for AR except on phones, smart tables etc. As for Morpheus which is VR is already being push beyond what it use to be being first the Oculus Rift following Morpheus to be even more convince they already have live demo's and real games up and running. Now if they showed project spark or some AAA game then it would be more interesting to talk about but at this point it is not as far as gaming but for other applications this will be a success.

[Death]

I apologize for the confusion. I assumed since we were talking consoles I didn't need to specify. Kinect has been the most successful console accessory released. This doesn't count controllers or memory cards of course. We are talking new tech released as an accessory. Keep in mind this also commercial success, not creative success or using the device to it's potential. I was very disappointed with Kinects implementation and with Kinect 2 I feel it is incredibly under used to this point. I enjoy the voice commands and auto sign in via face recognition, but we haven't seen any games that really take advantage of the tech.

Augmented Reality as far as tablets and handhelds is concerned is not the same as Microsofts AR which uses holographic imaging and places objects in 3d space in the room with the gamer. Vita's AR places objects on top of the cameras live feed on the handhelds display.

The easiest way to think of immersion and these technologies would be to say Vita AR is like looking through a magnifying glass, Morpheus is like looking through binoculars and Microsoft AR is placing objects in the room with you. As for which is more immersive, that seems to be a matter of opinion.

[rainslacker]

It sold well, but successful? The device was so successful people wanted to know why it was being forced into the X1 when gamers didn't really want it. 1/4 of the install base buying the product, yet the support was abysmal outside of crappy gimmicks and poor implementation on numerous shovel ware that more often than not was just family/kid software.

A device so successful that on N4G there was only one person who would say it was worth anything at all, yet went dismissed like all other motion control gimmicks by all hardcore gamers for an entire generation.

Anyhow, to answer your question from my own perspective, I think it's too soon to say either will fail or be successful. We have't seen a single whisper that either of these devices were coming out any time soon, and we haven't seen what kind of software will be developed for either. To date it's all been tech demos, and historically speaking, MS tech demos didn't mean squat when it came to the Kinect. Heck even the Kinect 2 doesn't meet the original's tech demos.

For all we know this thing is targeted at business users for the next 10 years, and will be priced well beyond the price any sane person would spend for a game accessory.

They're both cool technologies, and I find it rather silly that you'd call out others when you have done nothing in this thread but try and say how this is so much better than VR.

Look, I think it's cool tech, and I'm keenly interested in it, and learning more about it, but so far, there is so little known about it and I see people hyping it up as the next big thing that I think a little cautious optimism may be prudent.

[Antifan]

AR isn't for gaming, but very VERY go for porn.

[mxguy93]

I want to see how this actually works when it launches. It looks cool but so did the kinect when they showed that first trailer and well it didn't come out as great as promised.

[ScorpiusX]

Don't know about all that which this article is try to convey but MS did just send a signal that AR is here and want to introduce its self as a player in this field also.

[Claudinho69]

ya because people gonna be running, fighting, and shooting all over their furniture.....

[Rocky5]

VR & AR have there own benifits & shouldn't really be compared or put against each other.

Though I will say AR sounds & looks good, imagin playing a FPS where your ammo count & other HUD items are floating in front of you, that to me would be so cool.

Or in say a new splinter cell game where you can use the AR glasses to pick a lock with your hands/finger, that would be so cool aswell.

[WickedLester]

Personally I'd rather had seen MS invest those resources in adding more development studios and new game IP's. Gizmos and gadgets aren't what makes me buy consoles. It's games.

[WilDRangeRfc]

No one on here has experienced either yet so saying which is more immersive will come down to whether your a Sony or MS fan plain and simple,and that's how the majority on here will determine what they prefer,I have X1 and PS4 and guess what I prefer out of AR or VR? Answer I don't know yet

[SaveFerris]

Both AR and VR show promise for gaming and other applications. But it is still very early days. Within my lifetime I hope I get to see full immersion with bodysuits containing feedback sensors to simulate touch etc, and uncanny valley lifelike graphics. Or the Holodeck.

[ironmonkey]

I was hoping sony would of expanded their augments reality from vita into something bigger but this is really cool to see ms finally diving into future tech and taking some chances. Kinect is a no for but this other stuff could persuade people like myself to take a chance and get the xboxone. Finally.

[S2Killinit]

I don't think the concepts are in the same categories for one's success spell the demise of the other. I mean, google eye was AR, that didn't stop VR to come to be. Personally, I'm much more excited for VR as a gamer, but I see huge potential for both devices/technologies.

[JMyers]

Both technologies can exist together. This is different from VR, and offers something different.

[Gotcha5]

People believe me Microsoft are going to reveal a VR Headset at E3. They just didn't partner with a japanese start up Fove Inc. back in june for nothing. HoloLens is a Microsoft Lab Studio (in house )venture. Where partnering with Fove is licensing VR and Eye Tracking Technology (I remember reading that Fove shipping SDK Kits out to game developers in December).I believe MS can and will do both AR and VR making Xone and Windows 10 PCs the only place to have the best of both experience.

I aslo mention in another article about MS paying $400 million to the NFL for making the Surface Pro 3 The Official Tablet of the NFL and would it be cool incorporate the HoloLens in to the NFL or any other sports(just think of the potential can be).

[Foxmann250]

Didn't Sony show they have multiple headsets that do this (Augmented reality) and/or what Oculus Rift does (Virtual Reality)?

This feels like MS is playing catchup again. I liked their idea of the projector that projected the image around the room on walls way better. THAT no one else has done yet! Anyways, hopefully all are done well and aren't too pricey.

[kenwonobi]

They are two different things. So no. Arguably it blows VR away in some aspects such as apps and maybe some types of games. VR however blows AR away in other ways. Until AR can comletely immerse you or the whole living room in an environment? VR will have that in its back pocket as a upperhand. However when the day does come Holograms can engulf the entire room we are talking about a whole other level VR cant touch.

[kenwonobi]

and if they are affordable I want them both. It could be like owning Xbox vs PS4. As long as we can afford the price of entry to both.

[MannGamer]

Both AR and VR looks promising to me. I think their targets are different. Someone might be only interested in AR, or only interested in VR or interested in both. I don't think one is competing with each other, but one could have way more success than the other if done right.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

This is a different way of creating immersion. That's it. A man isn't as impressed by it based on previews and judging by the Kinect teaser which promised much more than it actually delivered but won't judge until he's played a game on both.

[Tedakin]

It's funny that people think VR is a new thing.... like 3D a few years ago...

[Tross]

RoFL. Ok, as a Sony fan, even I have to acknowledge that this AR thing is cool, but the author of this article needs a reality check. If true VR were a thing, on what planet would an AR interface make that obsolete? On the other hand, I don't see true VR being a thing for a while, though I'm open to seeing what can be done with Oculus and Morpheus.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I'm all for this tech but MS is known for plenty of smoke & mirrors the past couple of years! How much of what we've been teased is tangible & can be executed compared to what's been shown? I'm willing to bet... Not a lot

[BongSmack]

I suspect that in the next few years there will be AR and VR in one device Probably in the windows 10 lifetime.

[Mr_Luke]

Mh... this is different from VR and not so appealing compared to it. In VR if you look around you are somewhere else. With AR... you see images on your forniture.

[ScaryMonkey]

No reality check, they just made holograms a passing fad no one cares about just like Kinect, 3D and VR. Oh and FYI holograms in gaming is nothing new there was a coin op game in arcades in the 80's that did it but I'm sure xbox fanboys will claim Microsoft invented it.

[Predaking77]

Hololens will be another kinect flop for gaming but for other PC stuff it may succeed. It has potential but not for gaming. VR has a lot more potential for gaming. Like someone said, if I can see my house then the immersion is totally destroyed.