Microsoft HoloLens Was the Star of MWC

Mobile device manufacturers released a slew of new handsets and MWC this year, but Forbes' Patrick Moorhead thinks that Microsoft's HoloLens 2 was one of the most impressive devices at the show. The new headset doubles the field of view of the original Hololens without sacrificing pixel density, and features eye-tracking hardware that makes AR feel "more natural." Microsoft also worked on some of the original Hololens' smaller but glaring flaws. The new headset, for example, uses carbon-fiber to keep weight down, is far more comfortable than its predecessor, and works with glasses. Microsoft also introduced some cloud services that supposedly help compensate for Hololens' relatively low-power processors, though how well a cloud rendering service will work for such a latency sensitive device remains to be seen.

Microsoft says it will enable developers to design MR apps capable of mapping, designating, and remembering precise "points of interest" that are accessible not only in HoloLens but in Android and iOS devices. In my controlled demo, I used iOS and Android devices to work on the same object at the same time as HoloLens 2. The second, Remote Rendering, is designed to render high-quality 3D models on MR and mobile devices, without the need to simplify the models for the hardware. It functions by rendering the content in the cloud and streaming it to edge devices in real-time. Think about rendering 100M polygons versus a million. I'm not too sure what WiFi wireless capabilities are built in, but they will need to be high quality to ensure low latency streaming of Remote Rendering content. It's all about the ecosystem, Microsoft totally gets it, and currently leads the pack in AR. HoloLens is getting more and more real. The second iteration takes what was good about the first headset, and makes it even better - bigger, more vibrant display, more comfortable, and more immersive. It's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be. The PC wasn't perfect when it was invented; it only needed to be better than the typewriter and calculator. HoloLens 2 represents another leap forward for mixed reality, and then potential use cases are mind-boggling. Congratulations Microsoft.

I am pretty stocked for this technology to start becoming more prevalent. I think this could have a huge impact on society, both for good and bad, but I believe it can help spur on a lot of progress. The biggest hurdle is the power and latency issues. But anything that can help improve the experience and especially give people more options than just being tied down to a stationary desk is good.

Hm, I'd still probably be tied down to a desk. I use a keyboard and mouse on pretty much everything I do on the computer.

At first glance I saw the title as "Star Wars Hololens" and I was like, clickity click... oh wait...

NoOther said:

I am pretty stocked for this technology to start becoming more prevalent. I think this could have a huge impact on society, both for good and bad, but I believe it can help spur on a lot of progress. The biggest hurdle is the power and latency issues. But anything that can help improve the experience and especially give people more options than just being tied down to a stationary desk is good.

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If you only see this technology as a replacement for monitors and keyboards for office workers, then you are missing the bigger picture. AR could be a more transformative technology than cell phones.

PaulP said:

If you only see this technology as a replacement for monitors and keyboards for office workers, then you are missing the bigger picture. AR could be a more transformative technology than cell phones.

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I waiting to see how this affects the p0rn industry.

PaulP said:

If you only see this technology as a replacement for monitors and keyboards for office workers, then you are missing the bigger picture. AR could be a more transformative technology than cell phones.

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I am confused where did I even suggest that? The whole point of AR is to be able to interact with the environment around you and escape the bounds of being tied down to a normal stationary workstation.

NoOther said:

I am confused where did I even suggest that? The whole point of AR is to be able to interact with the environment around you and escape the bounds of being tied down to a normal stationary workstation.

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What I am saying is that there are completely new applications for this that aren't and can't be done on a "normal stationary workstation", so it's not just a better, more portable workstation.

PaulP said:

What I am saying is that there are completely new applications for this that aren't and can't be done on a "normal stationary workstation", so it's not just a better, more portable workstation.

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Okay, but I never made that statement.