Microsoft introduced a headset that will allow people to interact with holographic images, and to play video games in 3D. The HoloLens was launched at the company's Windows 10 event. The New York Times reports:
The headset, Microsoft HoloLens, was the most eye-catching new product that the company revealed at an event showcasing Windows 10, a major new operating system from Microsoft. The company said the headset would be available around the same time that Windows 10 is released, which is expected to be this year.
At the event, Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, said he viewed the headset as heralding a big shift in technology. “Our industry’s progress is punctuated by moments of category creation,” he said. “Windows and holographic computing is one such moment.”
HoloLens represents a deviation from the virtual reality headsets on which others in the technology industry, including Facebook, Samsung and Sony, have focused. The headset is part of the emerging category augmented reality, in which virtual 3-D objects appear to be inserted into the real world.
"It was a special moment this morning when we were able to share that Windows 10 is the world's first holographic computing platform – complete with a set of APIs that enable developers to create holographic experiences in the real world," the company said in a blog post. "With Windows 10, holograms are Windows universal apps… making it possible to place three-dimensional holograms in the world around you to communicate, create and explore in a manner that is far more personal and human."
The device is scheduled to be released in the Windows 10 timeframe, according to Microsoft.
