Discovered by the general public on the stage of the Xbox conference at E3 2015, a period during which Oculus and PlayStation attracted the public’s attention by presenting their first virtual reality headsets, the HoloLens was the subject of a demonstration based on Minecraft, but Microsoft management quickly clarified that the device was intended for businesses and professionals, at least initially. There will ultimately have been no second phase, since these expensive mixed reality glasses will never have been positioned as a consumer device, whether for video games or anything else.
Still available from 3,849 euros, HoloLens 2 will continue to receive, if necessary, software updates until December 31, 2027. Production of the first generation HoloLens was stopped in 2018 and software support for the gadget holographic released in 2016 will end on December 10 this year. In its field, the HoloLens 2 competed with other manufacturers like Magic Leap, Varjo and Apple. Meta also recently unveiled its holographic glasses project, Orion.
As UploadVR notes, Microsoft seemed to open the door to a possible HoloLens 3, but a report from Business Insider claimed that the project was canceled in 2021 due to ” strategic confusion and uncertainty » within the company. In 2022, Alex Kipman, emblematic figure of mixed reality at Microsoft and creator of Kinect, announced his departure from Redmond after more than 20 years of loyalty. In January 2023 and June 2024, the HoloLens department was not spared from large-scale layoffs at the company.
HoloLens technology won’t be lost on everyone, however. Microsoft confirmed to UploadVR that the company remains “ fully committed » towards the militarized version of its glasses, IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System). The US Army, which signed a $22 billion contract with Microsoft, plans to carry out an operational test in early 2025, before deciding whether to launch large-scale production by the end of 2025. next year.
End clap also for Windows Mixed Reality headsets
Incidentally, UploadVR confirms that Windows Mixed Reality family headsets are no longer compatible with Windows 11. An intentional obsolescence that Microsoft announced in December 2023. In fact, no Windows MR headset now works with Windows 11, only whether on Steam or elsewhere. Remember that Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung had contributed to this range of headsets compatible with most SteamVR content. In August, according to statistics released by Valve, 3.49% of SteamVR users were using a Windows MR headset, which represents approximately 80,000 people. At its peak popularity, the Windows MR headset line accounted for 10% of SteamVR users.
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