Microsoft HoloLens (2016)

Presentation: Provided you got your box with the first generations of this headset you get a plain brown outer box with 2 boxes inside, one with the headset that is black and style and a smaller outer separate box with the clicker inside. With the holographic display on the box and the bright blue colouring of the inner box, this is one of those unboxing experiences that is a joy from start to finish and the main sturdiness of the box means it will be safe and sound when it arrives at your door. Given the super high price tag, you would probably expect all this anyway.

Microsoft HoloLens Box Contents

• Microsoft HoloLens HMD
• Nose pads
• Overhead strap
• Micro USB cable
• Power supply
• Microfiber cloth
• HoloLens (1st gen) clicker

Description: While many firms concentrate on virtual reality systems Microsoft believes their holographic augmented reality system is the way to go. But this is an augmented reality like you have never seen before, with high-resolution holograms appearing on scenery like walls and surfaces right before your eyes.

Use your body and hand movements, vision, and voice to interact with the content and information you see it feels very natural thanks to the world’s most advanced holographic computer built into the headset. While it does play games its real merits lay in its ability to show practical tools and media engagement of daily life. With this system, you will no longer need a TV, as you could just project one onto any surface in full HD!

Microsoft HoloLens Specs…

Headset: Microsoft HoloLens
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Launch Price: $3000 (£2,206) (headset only)
Release Date: March 2016
Headset Type: AR HMD
Display: 2 x Light engine at 1268 x 720 (per eye)
Field of View(FOV): 30° horizontal / 17° vertical
Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
Interpupillary Distance Adjustment: No
Screen Focus Adjustment: No
Weight: 579 g (20.42 oz)
Tracking: 6 DoF Inside-out via 4 integrated cameras

Review: When it comes to reviewing the Microsoft HoloLens it is not so much about what it can do now and how the technology is now, but how it could possibly be in the future. The headset itself is heavier than you might think and not as comfortable to wear as many VR headsets and the FOV isn’t worth mentioning. But all those issues don’t stop me from being excited by what this headset can do. The potential for it to change our lives and I feel the same way about it as I did when the Oculus Rift DK1 first came out. The apps developed for this first generation of AR headsets could well be the same ones we all use in the future and for that reason, in the hands of the right person, this AR headset is groundbreaking. Sure, it’s far from perfect, but one day it could be.