Microsoft has started talking about what makes HoloLens a totally different prospect to virtual reality headsets.
According to Microsoft’s Kinect visionary, Kudo Tsunoda, HoloLens has far more potential than traditional virtual reality headsets like the HTC Vive, Sony’s Project Morpheus or even the Oculus Rift.
“The thing that HoloLens does is allow you to blend your digital world with your real world,” said Tsunoda in the latest issue of GameInformer. “Bringing of those two things together unlocks all kinds of experiences.”
The difference between VR headsets and the HoloLens is that the latter illustrates the sheer power of augmented reality.
Microsoft showed off a variety of demos at the HoloLens announcement in January, including a particularly special Minecraft one – just take a look at the videos below.
“None of that stuff is things you could do with VR,” said Tsunoda. “It’s nothing against VR; I think VR is great tech. But it’s the ‘blending of the world’ part about HoloLens that makes it unique. From a gameplay perspective, it’s being able to make your real world environment an integral part of the experience. That’s really different than what you would get from a VR experience.”
Related: Oculus Rift vs Project Morpheus – VR tech compared
In the interview, Tsunoda went on to say that HoloLens could be a fantastic tool for teaching and collaboration – especially when it comes to holograms.
Being able to draw holograms into the HoloLens world is a “compelling thing for being able to teach people skills, and allowing them to collaborate in ways they couldn’t do before.”
Microsoft hasn’t yet announced any games for HoloLens beyond the Minecraft tech demo.
However, this is an area that the company is definitely looking at, particularly in conjunction with Xbox One and PC.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.