Microsoft unveiled the second version of its AR
headset – the HoloLens 2 – at MWC in February earlier this year. Reuters
reports that the headset is ready to go on sale in September at a price of US$ 3,500.
This buys you the HoloLens 2 itself. The Developer
Edition will cost US$ 99 a month and will pack some extra goodies like US$ 500 in
Azure credits, plus 3-month trials of Unity Pro and the PiXYZ plugin (which
helps you view CAD-based models in AR). Clearly, the HoloLens 2 is still aimed at
businesses.
Anyway, the second generation product offers much
wider field of view than the original HoloLens – 52°, up from a claustrophobic
34°. The resolution is kept the same, “47 pixels per degree” (which is
obviously more pixels in total). There’s more computing power and
hardware-accelerated eye and hand tracking. And the headset itself is more
comfortable to wear.
While you won’t own one yourself, you might
encounter the HoloLens 2 in presentations from companies that rely heavily on
CAD to design their products. For now at least, the only consumer-friendly AR
is the kind you get on your phone.
