Microsoft HoloLens

[Jorge-Vieira]

Multiple Microsoft Studios Are Busy With The HoloLens – Find Out Which Ones

Microsoft has spent more than required on their HoloLens to make it more than just a project they are working on and so far it has been very much successful with a lot of debate on the topic inviting anticipation from the public aswell. A number of development teams are working on the HoloLens for Microsoft which includes both AAA and others, so Microsoft is putting in a lot of effort in making the device something to be remembered as revolutionary or maybe they just want positive feedback which is hard to come by when so many critics can just dismiss a product on just a couple of negatives they find.

Meet The HoloLens Team and The Studios Working on The Microsoft Project

The man leading the charge of the HoloLens project is the Studio manager Daniel McCulloch. Currently the studio “State or the Art” working on the Mars experience project called “Onsight.” Where another HoloLens studio is LXP which is focusing on building holographic creations through the Windows platform. Another studio that will catch the eyes of many gamer is the “Fit” studio which is working on the Holobuilder getting Minecraft on the HoloLens. So this one will be under the eyes of many as it is the one basically working on the development of games on the upcoming Microsoft tech.


Next on our list is the “Good Science” studio and they’re quite secretive about their span of work, hence we don’t know much about their research headline. For all we know, they can be working on some very “secret stuff” and given their history we can expect good things as they are the ones that developed the Kinect Fun Lab for the Xbox 360 console.
Rumors are (something that hasn’t been confirmed by any official) that allegedly, 343 and Turn 10 are also working partly on the HoloLens project as they are considered the heavy hitters or the Microsoft elite. But, as we already know that Turn 10 has its hands full with the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 release so its probable that 343 will also be working on the HoloLens.
Microsoft is holding nothing back in its development on the HoloLens project and since the concept was appreciated by many, I think many people will be glad to hear that so many of the studios are focusing on making this project into a better end product. Who knows what the future will throw our way but for now, what do you think about the Microsoft HoloLens project and its development and what would you like to see in the HoloLens? Do share your views in the comments.

Noticia:
http://wccftech.com/multiple-microso...#ixzz3SayBIUg3

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft HoloLens Designer Killed In Hit-And-Run Accident

Well this is very sad news.

Malsch, who was seen running away from the scene, was captured by Redmond police who used a dog to track him. He faces vehicular homicide and felony hit and run charges. On Monday, a King County judge ordered Malsch held on $100,000 bail.

Noticia:
http://www.hardocp.com/news/2015/03/...t#.VPd6xuFv7P4

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft and Sony share VR ambitions at GDC

Virtual reality has certainly got a huge presence at this year's GDC, with several VR kits expected to arrive in the coming months, with the intention of shaping the future of games – and more. Technology giants Microsoft and Sony have both made new announcements regarding their respective VR headset projects, sharing new details and fleshing out their ambitions for the devices.
HoloLens
Microsoft's HoloLens is the first fully untethered holographic computer running Windows 10. The device has received much positive reaction since being announced on 21st Jan, this might be partly thanks to the wide range of uses and applications suggested during its unveiling. However, it would appear that Microsoft still intends to push HoloLens use in gaming, as Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirmed at a GDC conference that the company plans to bring Xbox gaming to the headset.

Spencer stated that "gaming and entertainment is going to be critical" to introduce the company's radically new VR experience to consumers. Microsoft considers the device as a huge platform for games that will be built across Xbox One and Windows 10, and Spencer adds that the company's own first-party development studios is already hard at work behind the initiative.
"While there are going to be many uses and industries that take advantage of Microsoft HoloLens and everything that holographic computing has to offer, gaming is a huge opportunity," Microsoft said in a blog post.
Developers are encouraged to join the Windows Insider Program to get the HoloLens APIs once accessible, and the Windows 10 gaming SDK should be made available during Build 2015, scheduled for late April. We expect to hear more about gaming on HoloLens at Build, but unfortunately, Microsoft is no closer to giving a timeline as to when consumers will be able to buy one its VR headsets.
Project Morpheus
Sony announced that Project Morpheus, the VR headset for PlayStation 4, will be coming in the first half of 2016. The Japanese electronics and entertainment firm provided an updated SDK and showed off the latest prototype which featured numerous improvements, bringing the device yet another step closer toward its consumer release.
The video below highlights some of the headset's features, with key changes from the previous model including a larger 5.7-inch OLED display, a double in refresh rate spec to 120hz, positional tracking capabilities and reduced latency to less than 18ms.




During an interview with Polygon, Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony's Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, insisted that "price has not been driving our development process", and that the company can start working on plans for production having improved its prototype significantly. Yoshida believes that a focus on the quality of the experience before considering cost could ultimately lead to a better headset that is more comfortable for players. However, he was reluctant to hint at a price point, but does say that the price will fall with time, just like with the PS4.

"Now we feel that we have the system, we have passed the threshold that we set out. Then, how cheap we can deliver to the consumer? That's the second question we're going to tackle," he said. "The number of people who will buy day one hardware will be some kind of reverse function of price, that we understand, but we really need to do it right from day one."
The company is showcasing four demos as teasers to encourage players to experience what is eventually to come. Sony says that it will be sharing additional details regarding Project Morpheus at E3, with hopes to detail more VR games as it gets closer to launch.
The ultimate goal with VR is to deliver a sense of presence, and we are excited to see all the leading tech players' interpretation of what they regard as the best VR experience. With visual experiences, tracking accuracy and latency improving with time, we expect to see some astonishing experiences arrive in the coming months.

Noticia:
http://hexus.net/gaming/news/hardwar...ambitions-gdc/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft hasn't shut door on virtual reality with HoloLens

Microsoft started 2015 with a bang, announcing its HoloLens augmented reality headset - providing wearers the chance to enjoy their physical world blended with digital features.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/news/...y-hololens.jpg

There is great potential for HoloLens to be used for gaming, entertainment, workplace functionality, and many other uses - but some have wondered if Microsoft planned to focus on AR and ignore the rising popularity of VR.

"I don't think we've locked ourselves out [of virtual reality]," said Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, in a statement to Eurogamer. "We've looked at a mixed reality space that we could do with HoloLens and think about it as a unique set of features and technologies to enable, that doesn't preclude us from doing anything in the VR space either from a first-party or partnership prospective. I've used Morpheus, I've used Oculus, I'm going to see more of the demos here."

Spencer noted that there is a lot of attention on VR, but there is very little knowledge about how the industry is developing. Microsoft doesn't want to suddenly try to cater to the VR market when no one is really sure how it will develop

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/44091/...ens/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft, Unity Technologies team together for HoloLens support

During the Build conference keynote today, Microsoft announced it has expanded a partnership with Unity Technologies to include HoloLens support for the Unity development platform. Unity is best known for its Unity game engine, and is currently used in video game titles such as Cities: Skylines and HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/news/...ns-support.jpg

"Microsoft HoloLens unshackles game and app designers from traditional screens creating a freedom to completely reimagine how we view and interact with information, education, entertainment, creative tools, social networks, remote healthcare and more," said Steffen Toksvig, VP of strategic technology at Unity.

As part of the agreement, Unity tools will be included in the Unity Personal and Unity Pro packages for HoloLens.

"Expanding our relationship with Unity Technologies was a natural next step in bringing content to Microsoft HoloLens," said Yusuf Mehdi, head of Xbox business strategy and marketing at Microsoft. "We are excited to unveil this partnership and look forward to the possibilities it will open for developers creating experiences for Microsoft HoloLens."

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/44838/...ort/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft Hololens Demos Impress On The Build 2015 Stage

Back at the Windows 10 event in January, Microsoft shocked the tech world with the announcement of Hololens, a holographic (augmented reality) headset that looked to blow away most any AR technology we’ve seen to date.
Of course...all the flashy onstage videos were just renders, and even sensational drone-building demo was clearly fully rehearsed. (That is to say, it was staged, not a live demonstration.)
We fully expected some big Hololens news or updates at Microsoft Build this week, and we were not disappointed. It was unclear if the onstage Hololens demos on the Build stage were staged or not, but they seemed to be happening in real time.
The Living Room

The demonstrator was able to launch and interact with some Universal Apps. What was startling is that those apps were in 3D.
Using a special camera that allowed us to see what the demonstrator saw, he stalked around onstage in a sort of living room setup. There was a cute little robot buddy sitting on the coffee table. An island scene was on an end table next to a chair. On the wall behind that was a web browser window and an image of a child. On a wall to the right of those was a window that had a video queued up.
The island tableau was actually a weather app. He’d planned a trip to Hawaii and wanted to keep tabs on the weather, he said.
He pulled up a Start menu out of the ether and used it to open Skype. Then, using a swift gesture, he stuck it on the wall next to the browser window.
Next, he actually played the video on the adjacent wall. Wanting to leave the room but not abandon his video, he said, “Follow me,” and the video window popped off the wall and followed him. He was able to then grab it out of the air and place it on a different wall.
Then, he deftly resized the video player to fit the whole wall.
The Virtual Cadaver

In a second demo, a doctor from Case Western Reserve University brought an assistant on stage to show an interactive 3D image of a human body. We could see what the assistant saw through her Hololens, and we watched as they pulled out the different systems of the body (in a very non-gross way, don’t worry) to show the muscles, nervous system and skeleton.


In the demo, they showed how the teacher could pull up images of bones to discuss different types of fractures. Note the thumbnail pop-up; that represents a student in (what would be) the class asking a specific question.
They also procured a hologram of a heart that they could rotate, slice and dice.
Mixed Reality With A Robot Buddy

The third and final demo was a nod to the maker space and involved a physical wheeled robot whirring out to the stage. His handler followed on his heels (er, wheels) and used her Hololens to project a hologram -- the robot’s face and arms -- on top of the physical lower part of him.
She talked to the robot, and he responded. She brought up a UI that showed navigational instructions for the robot (as well as a color palette that she used to change his lighting scheme).
All of the intelligence was on the Hololens; it served as the controller. The demonstrator plotted points on the floor, and the robot dutifully obeyed.
Windows Holographic Platform

The demos were impressive to say the least, but what’s really amazing is that, according to presenter Alex Kipman, any Universal App can be converted into a hologram with the Windows Holographic platform.
How exactly that will work, we don’t know. If what Microsoft said is true, it seems to be primarily a UI issue more than anything, along with the need to implement a few other bells and whistles such as ensuring that apps obey unique voice commands and recognize “air tap” input.
One would think that creating an interactive hologram and building an app would be completely different endeavors. Apparently, it’s not.
The Hardware

Unfortunately, we don’t know much at all about the Hololens hardware itself, and we have many questions about it. Microsoft said that Hololens has CPU and GPU, but also a Holographic Processing Unit (HPU).
There are onboard speakers, multiple cameras and sensors, and an adjustable headband for optimal comfort. The visor is apparently specially crafted, with a “see-through holographic high-definition lenses use an advanced optical projection system, generating multi-dimensional full-color images with very low latency,” according to the Hololens product page. The device is passively cooled.
We’re eager to spend some time with the latest version of Hololens and see for ourselves how along the technology has come and if Microsoft’s new jaw-dropping demos are the truth or a parlor trick.
Stay tuned for our hands-on experience with Hololens later this week.

Noticia:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/mic...015,29015.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft HoloLens, Hands On: Promising Productivity, Little Panache

Perhaps we're all just incredibly spoiled.
I got a hands-on look at Microsoft's HoloLens at Build 2015 today, and it wasn't really what I expected. Many of us in the tech media field have gotten used to seeing unbelievable things, and recently we've been privy to VR demos from the likes of Oculus and HTC and Valve that leave us with our jaws on the floor. My colleague's experience with the Vive VR actually brought him to tears, so powerful was the demo.
HoloLens is not that. And that's good, actually, because HoloLens is something different entirely, and that Thing is arguably more important than the awesome gaming or movie-viewing experiences we expect to have when those VR products finally land on store shelves. HoloLens is not sexy, and it's not especially mind-blowing. But it's also not too good to be true.
HoloLens felt like something that will be useful, something that people will use to get things done. To communicate. To play. To build, and sketch, and goof off, to teach, to problem-solve, to collaborate, and so on.
That's not to say that HoloLens is ready for primetime. The product certainly has a ways to go before I would say that it's retail-ready. However, it's mighty close, at least compared to where it was back in January.
It was just a few months ago that Microsoft debuted HoloLens at the Windows 10 event, and although the onstage demos were amazing, they were clearly staged. This week at Build, the onstage demos were actual demonstrations of the product's capabilities, shown in real time.
And tonight, I got to experience HoloLens first hand.
Secrecy!

I should note at this point some important anecdotes. First, we were not allowed to take any photos or video of the demos. (Sorry.)
Second, the amount of secrecy involved with the entire thing was extraordinary. Members of the press were assigned times to attend the HoloLens demo, and we had to queue up in small groups in the Build press room at the appointed time, at which point we were escorted out of the building and down the block to a hotel. (A second location!)
There were blue-shirted Microsoft people everywhere in the hotel lobby, from hired-gun college kids to important HoloLens execs. We were ushered into the elevator, up several floors, at which point we spilled out into the 6th floor hallway and into the hands of another army of cheerful blue shirts.
They escorted us into a hotel room filled with lockers, where we had to sign in and ditch all our stuff. No cameras, phones, or recording devices of any kind were allowed beyond that point. No bags either, just to be safe. Microsoft actually handed out paper notebooks and pens to the lot of us. (Yours truly was already prepared with my trusty Moleskine notebook and analog stylus, so I declined the offer.)
"I feel naked without my gear," remarked one journo as we were shuffled off into a waiting area.
Our guide throughout was Andy Lutzky, one of the head PR mavens involved in HoloLens. Our group peppered him with questions, trying to get any extra juicy detail. He was flawless. "We are not discussing that yet," was his canned but friendly reply. And then he kept trying to change the subject.
The Skype Demo

Our next stop was a room that was set up in a similar way to the Build stage, a sort-of living room. We sat in rows like we were in a tiny theater, and two smiling twenty-somethings, Dan and Joe (who are actually working on HoloLens) strode to the front. Joe launched into a little memorized speech, telling us that we were about to enjoy a Skype demo.
At this point, we weren't donning the HoloLens ourselves. So we watched Dan and Joe. Joe was wearing a HoloLens, and Dan retreated to a room behind the stage.
Joe air-tapped Dan's icon to start a Skype call. Dan answered, and there was his full-screen visage floating in the air in front of Joe. "This is called a Video Card," noted Joe, breaking the fourth wall.
Joe could grab the Video Card of Dan's Skype call and drag it around. He eventually rested it on a table and pinned it there. HoloLens is smart enough to recognize surfaces, so it actually won't let you pull a window through it.
Joe was able to freely walk around the virtual Video Card, and he could still see Dan's face. Dan could see what Joe was seeing thanks to the HoloLens, but in that way they were able to interact more effectively.
Dan could even virtually reach through Joe's environment and annotate on a object. Dan created a 3D Minecraft model of the Space Needle and sent it to Joe through Skype. Joe opened it up and put it on the ground, and then Dan scaled it up so large that it was taller than Joe. Joe grabbed it and scaled it down small again, picked it up, and placed it on a shelf.
Next, the pair decided to collaborate on a 3D rendering of a cityscape. Joe pulled up a Video Card of OneDrive and opened a file. Dan made a few suggestions, Joe agreed on the changes. to kill the call, Joe simply said, "Skype, close." Dan edited the image, reactivated Skype, and sent Joe the file. Joe approved, shrunk it down, and placed it on the shelf next to the Space Needle.
The Construction Demo

We filed out of the Skype demo room, down the hall, back into the elevator, and up a couple dozen floors. Out of the elevator we came -- more blue shirts -- and we went down a long hallway to a room where they used a hand held tool to calculate our individual interpupillary distances (IPD), or the space between our eyeballs. I'm a 65, it turns out.
"It's not a competition, don't worry," quipped Andy. Even so, I couldn't help but be pleased to see that the fellow next to me had an IPD of merely 60.5. (Er, wait, is higher or lower better? Shoot.)
The pair of Microsoft reps in the IPD room also explained to us the three ways we were going to interact with HoloLens: "gaze," wherein you move a cursor by looking around; "gesture," where you air tap to select an item; and "voice," which is...obvious.
"We call it 'GGV'," said one of the reps. I wrote that down.
Next, we each were let into a private room for a private demo. There was a team of two in mine. It took both helpers to get me properly fitted with the HoloLens. They tilted the inner band of the headset at a angle, with the back part under the bulge at the back of my skull, and tightened the ring for a snug fit.
To accommodate my glasses, I could grab the arms of the front visor and slide them forward/up or backward/down. I was instructed to ensure that I could see all four corners of a rectangle displayed on the HUD in front of me.
I honestly didn't notice the weight of the HoloLens, because it was so tight. And although the visor did accommodate my glasses, there were a couple of pressure points. It felt a little awkward, though secure.
The HoloLens was completely untethered. There were no wires, no external cameras, nothing. It's a purely standalone device at this point, which in and of itself is impressive.

The field of vision is quite limited. I'd heard this was the case, but I assumed that the peripheral vision was occluded by the device itself. That's not the case; unlike a wraparound VR environment that's designed to be immersive, the HoloLens display is a smallish rectangle -- sort of like a TV screen sitting within your field of view.
It reminded me a bit of the Google Glass display -- a rectangle in space. The HoloLens display did not have perfect color. My demo unit had a slight rainbow effect on the right side, actually. I asked others if their displays had the same issue, and the feedback I got indicated that mine may have been a little worse than others.
In the demo, I saw a SketchUp 3D rendering (on a 2D display) of a proposed building. Next to it was an actual physical 3D model of the structures around the proposed site. My guide noted that the physical 3D model cost $12,000.
Through HoloLens, I saw a 3D projection of the new building on top of the physical model. On the monitor, I could click and drag parts of the building and raise them up or shrink them down, and my adjustments reflected on the hologram in real time. There was no discernible lag between my mouse events on the monitor and that of the hologram, which I found impressive.
Next, I moved the mouse cursor from the 2D monitor to my view of the hologram. (Effectively, the hologram was simply a screen extension of the drawing on the monitor.) Again, there was no lag.
I clicked a spot on the hologram with the mouse, and suddenly I had a photo rendering of the area in Denver I was supposed to build in. I looked around the room, all 360 degrees, and I could see a 360-degree view of Denver. Again, there was no lag, unless I really moved my head as quickly as possible. (Are you seeing a theme here?)
In the second part of this demo, I walked over to a tiny room where I could see a projection of a sort of blueprint on a wall. It was as if I could see through the wall and down the street, thanks to the holographic projection.
My guide noted to me that I was looking at plans to build a door, but when I "looked through the wall" we were supposed to knock down to make the opening, there was a steel beam in the way. When I looked directly at the beam, the cursor attached to my eyes, where I was looking, "booped" to indicate that the beam was something I needed to interact with.
I looked over, and there was a 3D avatar of a man. I talked to him. He noted the beam issue, and we moved the proposed door opening a bit to the right. However, as I could see thanks to the see-through hologram of the wall space, there was now a pipe that was in the way.
I air-tapped the pipe to leave a note. I said, "Move pipe," and my note was there for my avatar friend to take care of on his end.
I expected the air tap to be a cumbersome, annoying command to get used to, but it was just the opposite. Not only did HoloLens catch my finger movements, it responded immediately -- no lag -- and furthermore, I didn't have to necessarily hold up my arm in space. As long as I was looking directly at something, with the cursor (which appears as a tiny translucent white dot in your vision) on that something, I could actually air tap with my hand down almost resting at my side.
The avatar, by the way, could be anything. In this case is was a blue facsimile of a man, but it could be an elephant, or a stick, or (if you're brave), Cortana. It's simply something for you to interact with; it's not a direct representation of the person you're communicating with.
As I noted above, the HoloLens did not feel quite like a consumer-ready product. However, the demos did show many of the potential uses for the headset, and although the limited display size was a notable limitation, the device did a marvelous job of providing a snappy, lag-free, intuitive user experience. There was virtually no learning curve.
I can see the HoloLens being a valuable tool for industrial uses, teaching and training of various kinds, and even fun home uses such as Skype calls, watching TV, and more. Microsoft needs developers to buy in, of course, but from what I saw, there's no reason why they shouldn't. If writing Universal Apps that translate with ease to HoloLens is as simple as Microsoft made it seem this week, devs should be lining up.
The demo ended, and I was back in the hallway and joined my group members as they trickled out from their own demos. More blue shirts. If I was a more paranoid person, I would have counted them. But there were dozens, at least.
We took the elevator down to the main floor, tried to pry some last-minute info from Andy (he was a rock), and suddenly we media members were outside, strolling down the San Francisco sidewalk, back to Moscone West, picking each others' brains about what we just witnessed.

Noticia:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/mic...-on,29027.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

What We Know (And Don't Know) About Microsoft's HoloLens

Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality/holographic headset is disruptive technology that, as we saw firsthand, offers what could become a somewhat practical and significantly useful way to work, communicate and play. We keep learning more about this mysterious tech little by little, but there are still huge unanswered questions. Here is what we know, and don't know, about HoloLens and Windows Holographic.
Overview

The whole "Holo" package consists of the HoloLens headset and Windows Holographic. The latter is the "operating system." We put that last bit in quotes, because it's not technically a whole new OS; Windows Holographic is a version of Windows 10, according to Microsoft's Alex Kipman.
Even so, it uses that same shared code that underpins Windows 10 on all platforms, and because of that, Universal Apps run on it as easily as they do on any other screen or device (technically speaking). Put another way, there are no Windows 10 APIs that are unique to Windows Holographic.
The system creates 3D avatars so you have something besides a disembodied voice to communicate with. As we mentioned in our hands-on article, this does not need be a facsimile of that person; it can be anything. In the demo, it was a 3D, blue, faceless man-shaped avatar.
In terms of a user experience, the HoloLens environment can be shared among multiple parties. The idea is that anyone with a HoloLens can stand around together looking at and interacting with the same things. As in the Skype demo we saw, that could happen even when one party is not wearing a HoloLens, which will no doubt be a big selling point.
We were also delighted to find that HoloLens accommodates glasses, so unlike some VR demos we've experienced, Microsoft's AR offering is relatively kind to the bespectacled.
Development And User Experience

Kipman said that developing for HoloLens is effectively a 3D mobile development experience (with several middleware tools to help).
In terms of Cortana integration, Windows Holographic leverages her speech engine and APIs. Office and related apps will be "flat" experiences for the time being, meaning that although you should be able to move their windows around, there will be no 3D components; however, that can change. In a talk, Kipman said that "can" change, not that it "will" change. Thus, we infer that there isn't anything specific in Microsoft's roadmap to that effect, but he seemed to hope that some clever developers might come up with some ideas.
We don't know what CPU and GPU is on the HoloLens, but judging from the size of the headset as well as various comments from Microsoft (such as Kipman's 3D mobile development experience comment), it's effectively a mobile platform. We presume there's an SoC in there, although we don't know which SoC. The company keeps mentioning "custom silicon," and we're unclear if that refers to the CPU/GPU, the HPU, or some combination.
We know from our demo that the device is, as Microsoft promised it would be, fully untethered. There are no wires of any kind; the headset provides the experience as a 100 percent self-contained unit.
That brings up the question of battery life, though; the HoloLens hardware is certainly graphically and computationally demanding, no matter how juiced up its SoC may be. One saving grace, though, could involve the display. Thinking of a smartphone as a closed system, those bright, hi-res displays are hard on battery life. However, the HoloLens has a projection system, not an actual display. It pushes the visuals through its lenses and visor for your eyes to behold. It's possible that this method demands a great deal less from the battery than a smartphone would.
Indeed, in a blog post, Microsoft said that the HoloLens employs an "advanced optical projection system." It further read, "The see-through lenses generate multi-dimensional full-color images with very low-latency so you can see holographic objects in the physical world."
Microsoft also noted that this projection system stays synced with the multiple "advanced" sensors on the headset.
The visor assembly actually consists of two parts. There's the transparent rounded shield portion that you can clearly see in pictures of the headset, but there are a pair of lenses that are closer to your eyes, too. Microsoft called these "high definition" lenses, but that tells us little. Are they 720p or 1080p? Is that for eye, or the combined image?
Processing And Sensors

The HoloLens has a CPU and GPU (of some kind), but it has a third processing unit called the Holographic Processing Unit (HPU). Kipman explained the HPU a bit by saying that the third chip handles all of the human understanding, and it frees up the CPU and GPU so that developers can play with them. Physically, it's located within the bar that goes across the top of the headset.
Kipman said that the component of HoloLens that understands human speech, identity, and other such features -- which we take to be the HPU -- is a sort of super-Kinect sensor. It handles all of the HoloLens' spatial and surface mapping.
This is what enables the device to, for example, recognize hand gestures such as air taps. We don't have any specs on this feature, but its range should be impressively wide. For example, in my demo, I found that I could look to highlight something (which is to say, I could move my head to place a cursor on it) and air tap with my hand way down at my side.
He used the term "Kinect" to describe it, but he was clear that this is not the Kinect that's currently available. Whether we'll eventually see this new and improved Kinect sensor on the Xbox One (or a future-gen Xbox) remains unclear.
Kipman noted that although devs no doubt would like to tinker with that particular sensor, Microsoft is keeping it locked down and inaccessible to outside devs. Microsoft doesn't want anyone to "break" that experience for any users; however, devs will have access to the "experiences" that sensor offers.
This HPU is custom silicon, designed to be "easily used by developers so they can focus on creating amazing experiences without having to work through complex physics calculations," or so sayeth Microsoft.
It appears that the HPU works in tandem with something called the intertial measurement unit, or "IMU," which has an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, and the head-tracking cameras mounted on the headset, to handle head tracking and movement.
Whatever soup of processors and sensors Microsoft is using here, it's working. The HoloLens image remained glitch-free and stable. The only way I could create any issues with the visuals and head tracking was to shake my head rapidly.
Camera And Audio

Kipman was particularly excited about the Mixed Reality Capture feature. Essentially, there's a still/video camera on the HoloLens that can capture holographic images (or at least a reasonable facsimile). What's more, the HoloLens can "intercept" that feed and distribute it in such a way that others can see it.
Mixed Reality capture works more or less the same way as the camera setup Microsoft used to demonstrate HoloLens demos onstage and behind closed doors at Build. They basically mounted stereoscopic "eyes" over the camera lens to "see" in 3D. The biggest difference between these cameras and the HoloLens is quality; the onstage camera was a 4K/2K device, while the HoloLens camera is lower-res. (No, we do not know the resolution. See "Lingering Questions" below.)
He also noted that the human understanding APIs the sensor uses are the same as those in all of Windows 10.
There are two tiny speakers mounted on the HoloLens, one each on the left and right sides of the earpieces. Microsoft said that these provide spatial sound by trying to mimic how the human ear works. "Using a scientific model that characterizes how the human ear receives sound from a specific physical location, HoloLens can synthesize a binaural sound so that you perceive it to come from a specific location in the physical space around you," read a Microsoft post.
There's also a built-in mic. In our demo, we left a voice message for the avatar, who played it back. In my case, the mic picked up both my voice and my tour guide's. Hers was clear enough, but a little faint -- she was standing a couple of feet away and to my left -- but my words were clear and loud.
Lingering Questions

Unfortunately, there's a huge pile of questions that remain unanswered, and most of those center around actual hardware specifications. We did our best to pump the HoloLens folks for more, but they were tight-lipped.
We don't know when HoloLens will be available nor what it might cost. All we were told was that it will be available "within the Windows 10 time frame," which is another way of saying, "Sometime before Windows 11 comes out." The optimist would hope for a July launch, as that's when supposed Windows 10 will be available. (No, Microsoft did not confirm that either.)
We want to know if there will be a consumer version of the device and an industrial one, and we're curious how Windows Holographic differs, specifically, from Windows 10.
We would also like to know how the specs on the SoC (we're assuming it's an SoC), and how it and HPU communicate, and exactly which sensors are on the device. Further, what kind of onboard storage does HoloLens have, if any? What about battery life -- what kind of battery is inside this thing, and what is its capacity?
There is obviously wireless Internet connectivity on board -- Skype, remember -- but we don't know what kind of wireless chip it is, nor any specs on it. And what about Bluetooth, NFC and the like?
And so on. We'll put it to you as well, dear readers: What remaining questions do you have about HoloLens?

Noticia:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/wha...ens,29030.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft Considering HoloLens for Xbox

While the Microsoft HoloLens has thus far been marketed as a device that will add new dimension to your Windows 10 experience, it seems Microsoft is still exploring the possibility of integrating the augmented reality headset with its current-gen video game console, the Xbox One.
In an interview with Edge magazine, Head of Xbox Studio Phil Spencer revealed that Microsoft are strongly considering HoloLens/Xbox One integration, but for now the company is concentrating on making the AR device a standalone piece of tech first. “The tethered scenarios around VR I think are interesting, but we were going for something different,” said Spencer. “Not being tethered to either a PC, Xbox or a phone as part of the solution was one of our design challenges for HoloLens, and we did that.”
He continued, “Well, we haven’t announced it as an Xbox accessory, but it sits within one team, and we have the conversations. Right now, we want to focus on a standalone, untethered device and make sure that we can prove out that scenario.”
Should the HoloLens make it to Xbox, Spencer believes that will open up new territory for developers, adding, “Now we can say, ‘Well, OK, if I do have an Xbox or a PC, what are those scenarios?’ We haven’t publicly talked about what those are, but you can imagine, as we continue to drive and get success with HoloLens, those scenarios will become obvious and developers will take advantage of them.”
Thank you GamesRadar for providing us with this information.

Noticia:
http://www.eteknix.com/microsoft-con...hololens-xbox/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft: HoloLens will cost more than $400

Microsoft Corp.’s HoloLens is an impressive device that the company hopes will create a new product category. At present, it is hard to imagine potentially popular usage models for HoloLens and it is uncertain whether Microsoft’s hopes are justified. One thing that is clear is that the device will be rather expensive, something that may slow down its adoption.
The Microsoft HoloLens is a fully-fledged personal computer with a high-performance central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a custom holographic processing unit that processes terabytes of data from multiple sensors and loads of other hardware. Since HoloLens is an extremely advanced piece of technology, it is rather expensive to build. Therefore, it will not be affordable for end users too.

One current Microsoft executive told New York Times that HoloLens would cost significantly more than a game console. At present Microsoft sells its Xbox One system for $399. Moreover, when Microsoft sold its latest console for $499, its popularity was rather low.
Microsoft executives want to release HoloLens as soon as possible, partly because the device is unique and partly because it is powered by its upcoming Windows 10 operating system. Still, the world’s largest developer of software does not seem to be over-optimistic about HoloLens.
“I don’t want to overhype it like Google Glass and say this is the next,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft in an interview with NYT. “I want us to be deliberate about what it is.”

Noticia:
http://www.kitguru.net/laptops/mobil...more-than-400/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft shows off Minecraft for the HoloLens wearable

E3 2015 - During its press conference at E3, Microsoft announced that a new version of Minecraft, designed for the HoloLens wearable holographic platform, will be available to gamers. The launch date and price of HoloLens remains unknown, but it looks like Microsoft is doing a great job building hype for the upcoming headset.




Gamers will be able to interact in the Minecraft world with a new glimpse of the environment as they build, detonate TNT, and play with other gamers. As an added bonus, those of you wearing HoloLens will still be able to communicate and interact with gamers using a standard controller.

As with any virtual reality or augmented reality platform, the need for killer apps and software could help make or break the platform - and it looks like Microsoft wants gaming to be a major part of HoloLens.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/news/...s-wearable.jpg

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/45887/...ble/index.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

Minecraft May Be the ‘Killer App’ for Microsoft’s HoloLens

While the hype is still going into virtual reality, we shift focus for a bit and try to look at what augmented reality has to bring too. Microsoft just demoed how its HoloLens gear deals with augmented reality and used Minecraft as a game example on stage at E3.
Though Minecraft first appeared in a HoloLens press release earlier this year, it did not look so appealing at first. However, Microsoft really outdid themselves when they did the E3 demo. It began on a virtual TV screen, which seemed pretty normal for a presentation. But it was not until someone dragged it onto the table that got everyone so excited.
If you know Minecraft, you sort of get the 3D Lego feeling when you work around its vast world. Now picture it on a table and interacting with it from above. Pretty amazing, huh? You may not have any idea how amazing it is until you watch the video below.




Though augmented reality may seem a bit locked into certain types of games, such as crafting, building and RTS in general, Microsoft did announce it already has a partnership with Oculus for future development. Also, Microsoft is working on bringing compatibility with the SteamVR as well, so we are bound to see a lot of potential in future games.
Thank you Cnet for providing us with this information

Noticia:
http://www.eteknix.com/minecraft-may...ofts-hololens/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft admits HoloLens will be flawed at launch

On Monday, Microsoft developer Kudo Tsunoda admitted that the first consumer ready version of HoloLens, a standalone Windows computer that lets you control and see holograms while wearing a visor, will only work properly when you look in the dead center of your vision.
In other words, if you move your eyes a little too far to the left or right, you won't see any holograms. HoloLens testers noticed this flaw when trying out the device and expected it would be corrected in time for launch.
But when Gizmodo asked Tsunoda if the vision flaw would be fixed he said, "It’s not final, but I would also say it’s not a huge dramatic difference in the final version from what you see today."
The HoloLens has delivered Microsoft much-needed praise as an innovator during a time when the company seeks to reinvent their brand. But although their vision for HoloLens appears effortless it looks like their first rendition might fail to execute. You have to admit, Microsoft's history of releasing frustrating products is something Windows customers are all too familiar with. And unlike Windows, HoloLens doesn't have the luxury of a massive base of users.
If the HoloLens isn't adopted Microsoft might give up on the concept for years, just look to Google Glass for an example of a shelved virtual reality hopeful.
Tsunoda didn't give a solid release date for the HoloLens, but hinted it wouldn't "be that far off" from Windows 10's July 29 distribution. If you haven't already, watch the mind-boggling concept video of Microsoft's HoloLens below.

Noticia:
http://www.techspot.com/news/61080-m...ed-launch.html

[Jorge-Vieira]

British coppers investigate Microsoft's HoloLens

Robocop on its way
Cambridgeshire Constabulary to use Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality hardware as part of an ambitious push to harness cutting-edge technology.



According to Computing Black Marble, which specialises in Microsoft platforms, explained that his firm "will be delivering HoloLens to the police soon. A Microsoft said that while it's unlikely that members of the Cambridgeshire force will go out on the beat wearing the bulky gear in the near future, the technology could well be used in the recreation of crime scenes.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said it is determined to "bring imagination" to Cambridgeshire's modernisation project, to revitalise a force that which was "disillusioned with IT".
It is already using the Microsoft Band so that if the user's heart rate goes over a certain level, or if it is removed from an officer's wrist, it triggers an alarm and officers will scramble to support their colleague.

Noticia:
http://www.fudzilla.com/news/38077-b...oft-s-hololens

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft HoloLens is heading to space, aboard the space station

Microsoft has teamed up with NASA to help develop the Sidekick project, designed so astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) can use commercial technology to be more productive. Ideally, astronauts will be able to successfully complete tasks in a more efficient manner, while also reducing the amount of crew training before missions.




Expect astronauts to use HoloLens so they have a digital virtual aid - with HoloLens blasting into space aboard a SpaceX commercial resupply mission on June 28.

"HoloLens and other virtual and mixed reality devices are cutting edge technologies that could have drive future exploration and provide new capabilities to the man and women conducting critical science on the International Space Station," said Sam Scimemi, director of the ISS program at NASA. "This new technology could also empower future explorations requiring autonomoy on the journey to Mars."

Sidekick was tested aboard the NASA Weightless Wonder C9, and found HoloLens was able to operate just fine before the units arrive in a microgravity environment.

The Remote Expert Mode is powered by Skype and allows ground operators to see what the astronaut sees, so they can communicate with one another. The Procedure Mode provides an animated holographic illustration when astronauts are fixing something board the floating research laboratory.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/news/...rd-station.jpg

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/46151/...ion/index.html