120°

Hololens offers imperfect but impressive augmented reality

Duncan Geere writes ""LIGHTNING BOLT", I yell. I'm sitting in a vague facsimile of a sitting room off a secret, high-security corridor on the periphery of Minecon, the annual get-together for 10,000 Minecraft fans from around the world. There are literally guards on the door, and they're probably wondering why I'm shouting "LIGHTNING BOLT" over and over again."

Insomnia_843266d ago

This is going to fail miserably.

Nick_The_Slick3266d ago (Edited 3266d ago )

You're talking about your trolling, right?

kingdip903266d ago

The field of vision is so small though, I can see how people will think it will flip unless that issue is resolved.

Here is to hoping

iamnsuperman3266d ago

I think it will go the way of Google Glass. That thing suffered a similar issue. Consumer didn't want it and nor did businesses. If Microsoft are serious about AR is the cooperate world they need to sort out the field of view (as well as being reasonably priced but deals are usual made anyway). A poor field of view will kill products like this.

jb2273266d ago

@iamsuperman

I definitely agree. Its weird because HoloLens exists in a strange space between public use & home use. It would be most useful in the real world, but Google Glass kinda showcased the problems that arise w/ tech like that in public spaces. In a home setting, the tech isn't there for a wide enough variety of interesting uses at this point. I see it being like Kinect at this point, a lot of potential for use in a business or classroom & very cool sounding on paper, but little in the way of applicable uses as a consumer device. Its funny that Spencer says AR is closer to a feasible reality than VR when at this point the opposite seems to be true. I applaud MS for trying new things, but they need to learn a little restraint, to stop pushing future tech out too early because it kills the potential audience w/ sour first impressions imo. Better to take these things slowly instead of pushing them out in the public eye before they're refined to being an actual product w/ mass potential.

ScorpiusX3266d ago

With every so called negative article that appears, all it does is make me want it more .

Rimeskeem3266d ago

Something like this is gonna cost upwards of 500-1000$ if it works like they are showing it.

ScorpiusX3266d ago

The price is not that bad if you look at all we buy to play our games or the spec capable items to make our pc run better or mobile device . All those things reside in the same neighborhood and we have no issue obtain them plus it's a stand alone item.

Insomnia_843265d ago (Edited 3265d ago )

The thing is, we make a whole lot more use of those things than we would with something like Hololens. Just think about it. This is very COOL tech but that's it, just cool.

ScorpiusX3265d ago

That best part we have no idea the number of use it will ship with.
who knows what use will be created & conceived once it has been released. That potential alone has me going in on one .

LastNewtStandin3265d ago

Nice article, I like hearing peoples impressions when using the tech and a nice detail he got in that Hololens is about 15% into it's development.

I love seeing innovation in the tech industry and how it can be applied to gaming. I love the people that try rather than play it safe hoping to make a bit of cash.

Bless you microsoft, You might cock things up sometimes but boy do you try and that's worth a hell of a lot in my book.

450°

Microsoft has laid off entire teams behind Virtual, Mixed Reality, and HoloLens

Windowscentral writes: "HoloLens, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality are all but dead at Microsoft."

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
crazyCoconuts517d ago

Yeah last thing I'd want going to battle would be windows strapped to my head

Orchard517d ago

Lol resupply breaks would become reformat breaks. Plus windows updates mid combat.

I also can’t imagine wearing a Hololens or any other headset for hours like that. Especially when you’re already carrying all the other equipment our soldiers carry today.

Philaroni517d ago

I would suck to go in to war and get... a blue screen of death.... literally.

I want this to be the most down voted comment. Sorry for my dark sense of humor.

Orchard517d ago

@Phil Sorry to disappoint but you’re getting an upvote from me :p

shinoff2183516d ago

Damn orchard, you almost had some form of virtual to praise to the high mountains about , least for the time being you can continue to down psvr2

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 516d ago
Knushwood Butt517d ago (Edited 517d ago )

'Headaches and nausea'

I get those symptoms using Microsoft Edge.

Good-Smurf516d ago

Darn thing locked up my laptop a few times and threw a no signal bug at my external or internal screen when it tries to load certain websites.

Knushwood Butt516d ago

It's so bloated and frustrating to use. Always spamming me with pop up dialogues and stuff.

I don't use my laptop much, but yesterday made the time to set Chrome as my default.

lonewolf10517d ago

It mentions that in the article, confused slightly as to whole divisions being laid off as The Verge article makes it seem that there is a 1.2 version of the headsets in testing and MSoft have received 165 Mill to carry on with them.

Christopher516d ago

That's a different product, actually, not HoloLens. It is poorly written, but the 1.2 version they're going with is a different product they have also been testing.

1Victor516d ago (Edited 516d ago )

Well there you have it folks Microsoft officially buried its room temperature foliage on a form of VR😢.
The good news for the team they might get a job at Sony or meta for their vr departments

I feel sorry for the hardcore Xbox fans that was holding up the wish of something coming out of mixed reality/HoloLens.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 516d ago
Orchard517d ago

Not super surprising given how poorly VR and AR and all the metaverse stuff have taken off really.

Also outside of the military, you barely see or hear anything about Hololens these days.

blackblades517d ago

I remember them talking about hololens back in the day. Showing that Minecraft with it to maybe compete with VR and now it's dead like everything else.

Orchard517d ago

Yep lol, also the thing was like $5000. I wouldn’t pay $500 nevermind $5000 to play Minecraft in VR/AR.

ApocalypseShadow517d ago (Edited 517d ago )

AR is growing. Already used in cellphones. VR is growing everywhere else. It's just taking longer to integrate it in a pair of glasses.

Microsoft tried to use Hololens at E3 against VR and failed with that little window nonsense. Then, they played like they weren't pushing it for gaming when they actually were displaying games like Minecraft in it. Then, sold the tech against employee wishes to the military and failed because it's nauseating and having lights on a battlefield will get you killed. I had night vision in the army and could tell when an enemy inhaled on a cigarette. You could pop them right there. It's a good science fiction idea. But nothing replaces real battlefield awareness with your own eyes and ears in training or real war.

You're saying it failed because Microsoft is failing with Hololens. They partnered with 7 or so PC manufacturers to put out Windows VR headsets. But just like on console, they made NO GAMES for their headsets and expected others to pick up the slack. All those headsets hit fire sales and were discontinued. Microsoft's fault again for no Halo VR, no Forza VR, etc.

They failed again by not making good with their promise of high fidelity VR on Xbox One. When they have 2 TRILLION worth. Billions to buy up publishers. But not release VR because they want gamers on subscriptions and are buying up franchises to get them on game pass. But Sony is going to DELIVER high fidelity VR that Microsoft isn't.

PSVR sold at profit DAY ONE. Sony made millions in revenue on games and accessories proving that money can be made in VR and grow the market and platform. There are developers like Beat Games or even an indie making gorilla tag, can make money in VR. Sony are releasing their second one with even more potential to make more money that proves Microsoft wrong again.

Saying VR or AR is failing as a whole is FALSE. Education, automotive and building construction, real estate sales, music entertainment, medicine for PTSD help or cancer patients wanting to see things other than hospital walls, job instruction for places like Walmart... And GAMING, means they are not failing. Only in your mind.

The growth is real. You're just trying to deny it because of Microsoft. This isn't 3D TV or Wii waggle or your daddy's Kinect. VR and AR is here to stay.

Orchard517d ago

“This isn't 3D TV or Wii waggle or your daddy's Kinect.”

That awkward moment when the failed products you’re using to defend another product had far higher attach rate and sales than the one you’re trying to defend 👀💀

GamingSinceForever517d ago

“Not super surprising given how poorly VR and AR and all the metaverse stuff have taken off really for Microsoft”

Thought I’d fix that for you.

Orchard517d ago (Edited 517d ago )

So where is the VR and metaverse success story? Quest 2?

Facebooks metaverse is dead too.

517d ago Replies(1)
GamingSinceForever516d ago

Sony seems to have gotten VR right. Wouldn’t you agree?

Meta Quest is doing fairly well too.

Now I agree that MS was right in letting it go because they weren’t having much success themselves.

Orchard516d ago

No one has gotten it right yet, if by right you mean made it popular. The attach rate for PSVR is too low to call it that.

Quest is a little harder to judge since it's not attached to any device we can reasonably measure like PSVR is.

But until a good amount of gamers care, and/or it's considered mainstream, I would say VR hasn't landed.

As for MS, at the time it seemed like a risky bet, but in hindsight, they made the right decision if you look at where VR is today.

Bathyj516d ago

So Orchard you wouldn't consider VR a success unless it has a high attach rate to a parent device?

Bollocks
I consider VR a success if it gives you a good experience, an experience to can't get in any other format, and a decent amount of people use it and are happy with it regardless of attach rates.

Porsche doesn't consider themselves a failure because Toyota sell 100 times more cars.

If there's demand for a product and it makes profit then it's a viable business so get over your hangups.

And as for Microsoft making the right decision sitting back and watching because it's risky, well all that proves is they are participants in this industry, not leaders. If they had done VR and it was half-decent I can't help but think you would have a totally different opinion about it.

Orchard516d ago (Edited 516d ago )

"So Orchard you wouldn't consider VR a success unless it has a high attach rate to a parent device?"

Correct. a 4% attach rate, for a gaming accessory on a parent device that is dedicated to gaming is unsuccessful. Kinect had a higher attach rate than that, and it was considered a failure too.

"Porsche doesn't consider themselves a failure because Toyota sell 100 times more cars."

Not comparable at all. Porsche being a premium, rare product that only the very rich can afford is part of their brand, meanwhile Toyota is the cheap, mainstream, 'most people can buy one of these' brand.

PlayStation products are more Toyota than Porsche.

"well all that proves is they are participants in this industry, not leaders."

Participating in VR isn't what defines you as a leader or participant in this industry. Nintendo are blowing the PS5 and XSX away, and they are not participating in VR. VR just isn't that popular or important 🤷

Crows90516d ago

@ Orchard
"Not comparable at all. Porsche being a premium, rare product that only the very rich can afford is part of their brand, meanwhile Toyota is the cheap, mainstream, 'most people can buy one of these' brand."

Well actually within the gaming space you actually nailed it. Xbox is the toyota and Playstation is the Porsche..since it is more expensive in other parts of the world.

"Correct. a 4% attach rate, for a gaming accessory on a parent device that is dedicated to gaming is unsuccessful. Kinect had a higher attach rate than that, and it was considered a failure too."

Except nobody actually wanted kinect. It was forced onto IP and consoles with the xbox one. PSVR on the other hand is an optional device. An optional device that sold to 5million players. That is a success for a typical game and also embodies the hardcore audience. Most Playstation exclusives are guaranteed 5 million in sales. The attach rate for a non essential and expensive device shouldnt be seen in the same light as say an actual game or cheap subscription service. If it was actually a failure im pretty sure Sony wouldnt be wasting money on it.

"Participating in VR isn't what defines you as a leader or participant in this industry. Nintendo are blowing the PS5 and XSX away, and they are not participating in VR. VR just isn't that popular or important"

Thats not how it works. Sony is a leader in the VR industry regardless of popularity. Who else is doing it? So yeah. Not to mention you have to look at the games...I know...its an issue for xbox fans to dwell on whether games are actually any good but PSVR has good titles and PSVR2 doesnt look to disappoint either.

Hofstaderman516d ago

But I thought sales and attach rates do not matter to Microsoft @Orchard.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 516d ago
S2Killinit516d ago (Edited 516d ago )

VR is so much fun. One day MS will get their act together. Don't lose hope! Hope is all you have. Keep believing…

Orchard516d ago

I'd much rather MS, Nintendo and Sony all invest in traditional games instead.

Just look at PS5 in 2023, we're getting a very small handful of traditional Sony games this year because instead they've invested in appeasing ~4% of PS customers.

S2Killinit516d ago

Nah, Sony knows how to make exclusives. We are getting so much Im falling behind in my backlog. MS on the other hand cant seem to make a single proper exclusive. Promises yes, games, no. And now, seems no VR either! What are they thinking? But, dont lose hope, one day they will fix all of it.

shinoff2183516d ago

Orchy Sony can gives us traditional games and do some vr stuff. They gonna be alright. Vr is pretty dope if you'd actually try it or you can get your parents to get you one

GamingSinceForever516d ago

Orchard you can be a real character at times. If Sony felt that PSVR didn’t meet or even exceed their expectations why would they move to release PSVR2? Sony is notorious for abandoning what they feel is a failure, but it looks like they are coming on even stronger with PSVR2.

crazyCoconuts516d ago

I don't have data to prove this, but I feel like PSVR owners purchased more games and became more locked into the platform. Also more of the games were digital so no secondary market for used games. I suspect even though there weren't as many VR owners, they ended up spending a lot of money. I know I did

Orchard516d ago

"If Sony felt that PSVR didn’t meet or even exceed their expectations why would they move to release PSVR2?"

Even Kinect had two iterations. Means nothing.

"Sony is notorious for abandoning what they feel is a failure"

I wouldn't say they are any more or less notorious than Microsoft and Nintendo. Google are the ones who are really notorious for killing things.

Godmars290516d ago

The Metaverse is something the former Facebook is trying to force while having no idea how to best implement it. Trying to use the "tried and true" method of get people using it then get it working.

How long have customer driven markets vs market driven consumers been things?

frostypants516d ago (Edited 516d ago )

That is some serious cope. AR and VR are growing just fine. MS as a rule just sucks at innovation. Always has. They never see things through. Kinect was interesting but they ultimately botched that too.

Pocahontas516d ago

No one buys this narrative give up man

EazyC516d ago

I do think there has been a disappointing uptake on VR, but the reason is :

1: The upfront cost. You're literally doubling the price of the console.
2. Lack of first party support. Getting spin offs etc makes it feel like second fiddle.

I've just preordered PSVR2 for Gran Turismo 7 alone. THAT is what I want, a full blown game in VR. I don't think I'd have bothered otherwise. Until developers start making BR games from the ground up, I won't be that interested.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 516d ago
Sonic1881517d ago (Edited 517d ago )

I'm surprised that the Oculus Quest and PSVR didn't have these problems

516d ago Replies(1)
EazyC516d ago

Price alone will keep VR in the "super luxury" and "specialist" categories of gaming for a long time to come.

Abnor_Mal517d ago

Halolens as some tried to call it, R.I.P.

S2Killinit517d ago

Lol they are on the right path $:

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140°

No, Breath of the Wild Is Not Available on PC, Mobile or HoloLens

It's hard to explain how in the world this listing exists

Read Full Story >>
thenerdstash.com
bovandy1639d ago

Apple store has this all the time, I'm not clear why Microsoft would allow this.

Neonridr1638d ago

bahaha.. it's almost like they just threw in popular buzz words to show up on searches. Dear god that translation was awful.

Gridknac1638d ago

Actually you can play this on pc and run it at 4k@60fps.

Shiken1638d ago

Well in order to play it legally you still have to own the game for WiiU soooo....

specialguest1638d ago

My cousin owns it on the WiiU, but since he owes me money from 5 years ago I consider myself partial legal owner of a copy of the game

Shiken1638d ago

@specialguest

Not exactly how reality work bud lol.

Shiken1638d ago

I saw a shit mobile game advertised on facebook once that literally showed gameplay from BotW...

Like I mean really? Out of all the games to use to deceive consumers, you choose one of the biggest and most recognizable IPs in history...and from their most recent game to boot?

That is a special kind of stupid right there.

Show all comments (11)
60°

Fan-Made VR Title Brings Yu-Gi-Oh! To Life

Beta set to release later this year - but what does Pot of Greed do?

adamwparker2291d ago

YuGiOh, Magic The Gathering, Pokemon......bring them ALL TO VR!