AVS Forum banner

Microsoft HoloLens holographic computing, holograms, augmented reality

6K views 153 replies 18 participants last post by  onlysublime 
#1 ·
Anthony1 brought it up so let's do it!

Official link:

http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us/get-ready

What does it mean to have holograms on Windows 10?

Windows 10 is the first platform to support holographic computing with APIs that enable gesture and environmental understanding on an untethered device. With Windows 10, holograms are Windows universal apps, and all Windows universal apps work as holograms. Holograms in Windows 10 will lead to entirely new ways for us to communicate, create, and explore.

What is Microsoft HoloLens, and how does it work?

Microsoft HoloLens is the first holographic computer running Windows 10. It is completely untethered – no wires, phones, or connection to a PC needed. Microsoft HoloLens allows you to pin holograms in your physical environment and provides a new way to see your world.

Microsoft HoloLens features see-through, holographic, high-definition lenses and spatial sound so you can see and hear holograms in the world around you. Complete with advanced sensors and a new Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) that understands the world around you, Microsoft HoloLens is able to run without any wires while processing terabytes of data from the sensors in real-time.

What is a hologram?

A hologram is an object like any other object in the real world, with only one difference: instead of being made of physical matter, a hologram is made entirely of light. Holographic objects can be viewed from different angles and distances, just like physical objects, but they do not offer any physical resistance when touched or pushed because they don’t have any mass. Holograms can be two-dimensional, like a piece of paper or a TV screen, or they can be three-dimensional, just like other physical objects in your real world. The holograms you’ll see with Microsoft HoloLens can appear life-like, and can move, be shaped, and change according to interaction with users or the physical environment in which they are visible.

Why would anyone want holograms in their real world?

While we’ve made incredible advances as an industry in the way in which we interact with computers, we are still constrained by the need to conform to the ways computers recognize our commands through mouse clicks or by touching a screen. Using holograms, you can pin your digital content, such as apps, information, and even multi-dimensional videos, in the physical space around you, so you can interact with them in the same ways that you interact with other physical objects.

How is this different from existing VR technologies?

Holographic experiences with Microsoft HoloLens are different from existing experiences, such as virtual reality (VR). With VR, the user is completely immersed in a computer-generated reality, or virtual world. While immersed in a virtual world, users are best advised to stay seated or keep still to avoid collisions with physical objects they cannot see in the real world. Holographic experiences on Windows 10 are about delivering a mixed reality that lets you enjoy your digital life while staying more connected to the world around you – transforming the ways you create, connect, and explore.

How do I learn more about designing and developing apps for Microsoft HoloLens?

Microsoft HoloLens runs on Windows 10, so developers building on Windows 10 will already know how to build for Microsoft HoloLens from a platform perspective. Having this same foundation means that developers will be familiar with the tools and benefits of the Windows Store.

The best way to get started is to become familiar with Windows 10 by joining the Windows Insider Program. Next, register for Build 2015. At Build, you’ll learn more about how to get started designing and developing for Microsoft HoloLens, receive details on the SDK, and meet members of our engineering team. If you can’t attend in person, plan to tune in via livestream or check out the recorded keynote and session presentations that will be available after the event.

How can I get a demo?

Sign up for email communications below, and follow us @holo Lens to be the first to hear details about demo opportunities and more.

Some hands-on links:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/hands-on-with-hololens-making-the-virtual-real/
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7868251/microsoft-hololens-hologram-hands-on-experience
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-22-microsoft-hololens-impressions
http://gizmodo.com/project-hololens-hands-on-incredible-amazing-prototy-1680934585
http://www.polygon.com/2015/1/21/78...ram-glasses-changes-the-way-you-see-the-world
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/21/hololens-spec-rundown/
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/microsoft-hands-on
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01...adset-feels-like-science-fiction-come-to-life







 
See less See more
#5 ·
i think people don't really understand what the HoloLens is. because it's a different paradigm. people get what Oculus and Google Glass is and they've been out in the public eye for longer.

in the hands-on, many of them said it's hard to really describe what it's like. that none of the videos truly describe what it's like to experience the thing.

I'm wondering how much this will be. They've said it's a full Windows 10 PC. I'm guessing $1000 and at that price, I'll still get it. I think one of the hands-on said it had multiple cameras. It does use Kinect technology (which is where the airtap comes into play and the mapping of the room). If it is a full PC, the possibilities are crazy. How about connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to it and doing Office work or playing a game? I know those are basic tasks but if you could do all the mindblowing things alongside our normal everyday things, that would totally make the cost worth it.
 
#6 ·
I'm wondering how much this will be. They've said it's a full Windows 10 PC. I'm guessing $1000 and at that price, I'll still get it. I think one of the hands-on said it had multiple cameras. It does use Kinect technology (which is where the airtap comes into play and the mapping of the room). If it is a full PC, the possibilities are crazy. How about connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to it and doing Office work or playing a game? I know those are basic tasks but if you could do all the mindblowing things alongside our normal everyday things, that would totally make the cost worth it.
Apparently the CPU and GPU are Intel Cherry Trail based, although there is another chip involved as well that they're calling an HPU. I'd guess the PC part of it alone is around $500, and then who knows how much the visual parts of it and the sensors cost.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Ok to post Xbox & Windows 10 integration news here as well?


The latest preview of Windows 10 was made available a couple days ago. New Xbox App & Cortana included.


I messed around with it a little over the weekend and I'm very impressed so far. Hopefully it's not long before they enable game streaming for testing. Windows phone preview in February as well...


It's fun to try all of this new stuff, break it, and then learn how to fix it.
For example, I tried to boot WX off of a Samsung laptop - nice one; not too old, just to finally dump the now archaic W7 on that one but I can't get past loading screens in Korean (that = a local Samsung hardware presence I assume) even though it's the main US ISO! :mad: I've tried everything - user error I'm sure but Good times (I think)!



http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/23/try-out-the-xbox-app-in-the-new-windows-10-test-build
The latest Windows 10 build is now available to those in the Windows Insiders program, complete with the Xbox app demoed during Microsoft's presentation on Wednesday. It was revealed that with the Xbox app, players can stream any game in their Xbox One library directly to a Windows 10 desktop or tablet. Xbox Wire detailed the functionality of the current Xbox app preview, which doesn't quite let you do that yet.

For now, you can use the app to view your Xbox profile, activity, achievements, and game clips, access the Xbox home page, and play around with some settings. It's all very basic at this point, with the Xbox team reportedly focusing on support for high-res desktop monitors, and keyboard and mouse input. Not all the Windows 10 features shown during Microsoft's demo are featured in build 9926 either. Besides the Xbox app, it includes the desktop version of Cortana (English only for now), the expandable Start menu, new Settings apps, a beta of the Windows Store, and a few other updates



http://www.pcworld.com/article/2874800/microsofts-windows-10-build-9926-with-cortana-is-live-now.html
  • Cortana: Microsoft’s digital assistant has been ported over from Windows Phone, and makes an appearance in Windows 10. We think that Cortana should interact with your Windows Phone, sending reminders to your desktop and taking over as a general search interface, to boot.
  • Notifications: The Cortana reminders should show up in your Action Center, the little icon in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Expect to see a lot more information there now that Cortana has been enabled!
  • Continuum: The new build should offer to put your Surface in tablet mode when undocked (or any other 2-in-1 that has the preview installed).
  • Full-page Start menu: If you’d like, you can expand the new Start menu into a full-screen Start page that looks a lot like the way Windows 8 set things up (but with icons still on the lefthand bar)
  • New Windows Store app: “It includes a new visual design which will be common across PCs, tablets, phones and the web. It works well within a window and can be updated independently from the OS (this matters because it allows for more frequent updates),” Aul writes.
  • New Xbox App: The new app was demoed for us in Redmond. Basically, expect a lot more detail about the games you and your friends are playing.
  • New Photos and Maps apps: These are universal apps, and will be common to Windows Phone as well.
 
#8 ·
Got past the Korean language issue on the Samsung laptop. 3 PCs down, a few more primary PCs to go...will wait until later releases.


So cool to have almost instant boot-up times on old PCs (must have solid state drives of course), plus Xbox & Cortana integration thanks to Windows10. Best of all, it's all FREE!

****WARNING: This is all preview stuff. Your PC, family memories, life savings, etc., could all disappear without notice - VERY RISKY, just plan accordingly!!!**** :D
 
#9 ·
Price is a really big deal. We already have thousands invested in next gen consoles & games not to mention wearables, surfaces, PCs, etc.


No worries...we're all early adopters here and we all freaking love Kinect despite the disappearing nominal fee! Free trial for every Kinect loving AVS member!


Total BS but let's give it a shot; where do we sign up for free samples :)
 
#10 ·
If the thing costs 1 grand, it will be some time before it can really catch on.


I think anything higher than $499.99 is just going to meet a lot of resistance, and actually $399.99 is the more accurate figure that people are willing to swallow.


I'm not sure how Oculus is going to do it either. They will probably cost at least $399.99 and you'll still need a gaming PC to go with that.

My guess is that Sony is targeting $349.99 for Morpheus. (with one game included)
 
#11 ·
the thing is it's not being targeted solely at gamers.

They talked on Windows Weekly about a story of how Satya Nadella (MS CEO) was given a demo of the Fortalezza glasses a long while back, and he was shocked how good it was but he said they were thinking way too small by limiting it to Xbox gaming. That he told them to use it for everything and to think big.

People will spend for what they think is good. It's why people incredulously spend $830 for a 128 GB iPad Air 2.

Now that I know it's going to be a variant of Cherry Trail, I'm going to guess $799. It's got the guts of a PC, the guts of a Kinect, and multiple cameras and mics. They're not going to go razor thin margins on this thing. Not for a device that is unique to the market.

Let's consider this as well. Let's say they let you use it as a PC. I'm assuming it comes with 32 GB of eMMC or SSD. It'd be the most portable PC around with a built-in display. It could be your laptop or tablet replacement. Just tie it to a wireless keyboard and mouse and off you go.

And if they make Minecraft fully Microsoft Holographic, you know that kid will demand to have it. All many kids want is Minecraft. I was at the Microsoft Store today and I saw 4 kids tied to an Xbox One, just playing Minecraft. And a group of other kids were just watching these 4 kids playing Minecraft. Now, I like Minecraft, but I can't imagine watching other people playing Minecraft and enjoying it. But yet Minecraft channels on Youtube get tons of viewership.

Can you imagine schools NOT buying this thing?

And for business... Just look at 3D modeling, right now for something like a car, you model it and then the machine carves a clay model so that designers can look at it and see if the design is working. Well, now you throw up your 3D model and walk around it. A lot of time and money saved.
 
#13 ·
Intel has that bay trail compute stick for $89 without a windows license, so a cherry trail variant should be about the same later this year. Figure a few custom chips and the silicon probably comes in under $200. The cameras and sensors shouldn't be the bad either. Probably the most expensive part in it is the mini DLP projectors, but I think all said after the parts and manufacturing they could build and sell them for $499. I guess it depends on whether they want to capitalize on it's uniqueness and sell them for a huge margin or sell them at cost and push adoption before anyone has a chance to steal their thunder. I could see it going either way. I'm buying one either way. :)

I'm really interested to see what they mean by universal app support. Like I'm guessing you can just pop open a universal app and see it's window floating in space?
 
#12 ·
So, I read my first negative hands on about HoloLens.


I believe it was PC Gamer. Sorry don't have the link for that ( I'm at work ). But basically the guy explained that when you are wearing the HoloLens, there is basically this rectangle sweet spot in the center of your vision where everything happens. He explains that it's actually a pretty small rectangle of your vision where the "holograms" (yeah, right...) appear. He said, that once you realize that everything is only going to appear in this small little rectangle area of your vision, the magic kinda fades away.

That really diminshed my excitment for this thing.

I'm still interested in it, but with people talking about this costing maybe 1 grand, or 800 bucks or something, and then to find out that basically everything is happening in this small little rectangle, that just kinda took the air out of the sails for me. So, I guess, I'll wait until this is shown again, and see if any other people start talking about this little rectangle where things happen, and how nothing ever happens outside of that rectangle.
 
#14 ·
That's a first gen limitation I can live with. The alternative is something like oculus where you have a wider FOV but you see these HUGE ugly pixels. I think huge blocky pixels would harm the AR experience far more than the smaller FOV.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tampabuc
#16 ·
Forget the price for a moment, yes - still key, but I just don't think we will see this available this year sadly.


When it is finally released to the general public, let's all hope they go the MS BAND route and give the early adopters a rare but cheap opportunity to beta test this one. ZERO markup for R&D. Not unprecedented and better that paying big bucks to be beta testers like for other advancements.
 
#17 ·
So, I've mentioned a number of times on this forum that I listen to a bunch of various gaming podcasts.

I was expecting the HoloLens thing to be a big topic of discussion on all my gaming podcasts (that I normally listen to), and I was amazed to see this new technology get such short shrift from many of the programs I listen to. Almost every gaming podcast I listen to touched on the subject of HoloLens, but I was amazed to see some podcasts basically dismiss it as no big deal, and not a big story at all.

Some of them talked about it for a couple of minutes, but then quickly moved on, like it was just another random story of news.

A small number of the podcasts I listen to actually gave it some serious discussion time. I was expecting way more podcasts do that, but only a few of them did.

Basically, the point that I'm trying to get at, is that I don't think Microsoft got the kind of reaction they were looking for with this particular announcement. Seems it was a flash in the pan, and just didn't get much run at all. I think they are going to have to bring their dev kits to GDC and other shows, and have more people sample it, to get a bit more buzz going about it, because man... this thing hit with a whimper.
 
#19 ·
It's not that surprising considering who's talking. The thing that stuck with me was that the jaded tech journalists that got to try it were blown away. That's a really hard to impress crowd, and I havent read anything from anyone who's tried it that was negative. If they werent impressed with the prototype they all at least saw the potential. But the gaming press wasnt invited, and the failure of Kinect is still really fresh in their memory. Plus they have some experience with AR and VR already, so there's less novelty there for them as well. Gaming was only a small part of their message about it too. So I wouldn't put too much weight on their opinion yet, especially because none of them have tried it.
 
#18 ·
Microsoft invited a very small number of journalists to the January event (to the point where even a site as respected as Anandtech didn't get an invite). I wouldn't expect it to be a bigger topic of discussion until more people have used it... maybe at something like E3 we'll see more.
 
#20 ·
One of the most recent Game Informer podcasts had a discussion about HoloLens, and the main guy at Game Informer, Andy McNamara got to try the HoloLens on, and he talked about his experiences. Most of it was positive, but at the same time, he had some serious concerns about it.

I highly recommend anybody listen to the part where he's talking about his experience with it. He's the only guy I've heard on a podcast that actually had hands on with it.

Wait a minute... I think there was a girl on the Podcast Unlocked podcast that got to try it, and she was mostly blown away by it. Andy McNamara seemed a bit more cautiously optimistic about it.
 
#21 ·
most of the podcasts I heard were blown away by it.

I guess gaming guys have a different take because of the whole Kinect experience and whether the Hololens can be applied to gaming. Honestly I see much greater uses for Hololens beyond gaming. If it works for gaming, great but if not, I can be okay with that because of all the possibilities I see. I'm okay with gaming the traditional way without glasses. I totally skipped 3D glasses. I'm going to skip VR like Oculus (unless the reviews just blow me away and an in-person demo blows me away). I just see too many problems with regular VR that's affordable (whether it'll get me sick, for example, which Oculus has gotten a lot of people sick).
 
#24 ·
most of the podcasts I heard were blown away by it.

Which ones did you hear that were blown away by it ?

I wouldn't mind listening to some other podcasts I haven't heard before.

The only one I heard that was really, really excited about it was Jeff Canatta on DLC. He's super excited about the possibilities with HoloLens, but he didn't get hands on with the thing.

Giant Bomb barely talked about it. Player 1 Podcast didn't talk about it too much. 8-4 Play didn't talk about it very much. Rebel FM didn't even bring it up, which I find quite strange.
 
#23 ·
It's neat but if glasses were an impediment to 3D, something like that will never fly with most people. It's def not enough on its own to sell it.

Although there's some interesting things they could do with 3D TVs if they build shutters into the glasses. There's obviously going to be limited resources on the glasses themselves, but if they can sync up with an Xbox and a 3DTV that lets them offload all of that and increase the FOV while still retaining the holographic effect. It depends on so many parts that such a thing could never be mainstream. But adding shutters to the glasses means they can not only integrate with 3D displays, but also function as a VR headset.

Now all I need is for them to make them tiny to build in a way to correct your vision and I'll never take one off my face. :)
 
#27 ·
This is cool, better than just video displays attached to your face.... Opens the doors for some new things with gaming in that 3D aspect, it could be freaking wild.... Think, when your playing a COD game and get shot at, the bullet comes out of the TV and gets you, or if your having a sword fight, you can see the other players sward come out of the TV....think about it, that alone would be EPIC and there is so many syles of game it could work with!!!!


Or how about with the Kinect, your holding a gun in a game, and you are really holding a gun in your hand.... No feedback but the realism of the game could be insane..


When this hits, all I know is the p0rn peddlers are going to have a blast with this....(don't really watch the stuff but I might have to check it out one time)
 
#28 ·
When I saw the demos I was excited for Hololens. I allowed myself to suspend disbelief and imagine that MS had made a quantum leap in technology that would change the way everyone uses technology. As more details came out, like the Atom processor, the limited field of view, and the bulky prototypes, I realized this is YEARS (maybe a decade) away from being anything like the CGI rendering we saw in the demo. I think it will be impressive, but in some ways I think MS shot themselves in the foot by having the demo video show such an amazing experience. It will fail to meet expectations and cause bad reviews.
 
#29 ·
Maybe, Till I hold one in my hand and actually try it with some demos, I cant really say that.


I know when MS puts out a piece of hardware, it's normally very impressive and good quality (Xbox 360 excluded), A lot of R&D was put into this and MS is not known for dropping out new tech that does not do what they say it will.


It does look a little bulky but, depends on how comfortable it is and if you can use it for long periods, but, again, that is yet to be seen or felt by anyone here.


If it does what they say, it will be very impressive... I look forward to checking it out and even more to see if games on the Xbox one/PC come and take advantage of this tech.
 
#31 ·
The thing is... they did not invite a lot of gaming press. it wasn't a huge group of journalists in general that was invited. so of course if you don't experience it you are more likely to be skeptical which is the case for the vast majority of the gaming writers (i still have a problem calling many of them journalists).


most of the gaming writers are latching onto certain articles and then almost passing it off as firsthand experience. hearsay is not the best reporting method. especially seeing how things change as interpretation comes into play.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I didn't see it mentioned here that Bill Gates is very excited about this tech but even he thinks it's several years off. Many articles out there...

This guy can write a check that saves millions of lives, then chug some poop water for good measure and get Jimmy Fallon to do the same, so whatever he says...

Meanwhile, Sony execs...well...
 
#35 ·
There have definitely been some mixed messages about when this thing is going to see the light of day. Some people at that presser claim that Microsoft reps said that it "would" release sometime in 2015. That it would actually be out this year. But other sources have said that it could be a few years before this thing actually releases, so it's hard to say...
 
#36 ·
MS didn't specify beyond saying in Windows 10 launch Window and that could be this year or next.
 
#39 ·
many reporters said when Microsoft referred to "timeframe" they were referring to the Windows 10 launch timeframe. Not for infinity (since many are guessing that Microsoft is going the Apple route and just sticking to 10 forever like Apple is at OS10 (since Apple fanboys keep saying OS "X")). Otherwise, it could come out in 2030.

it's funny... listening to the presentation for OS10, it sounds kind of like the intro for Windows 10...

 
#40 ·
I heard from somebody that was there, on some website or podcast, can't remember, but they were told by a microsoft rep that it would be released "this" year.

I know that it seems incredibly hard to believe, and the person that heard it, felt exactly the same way, but they were told that it would be out this year.

This was more of an off the record thing though, nobody was officially quoted saying that.


So my guess, is that November 2015 to November 2020 is the launch window for this thing :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top