HoloLens Joins the List of Microsoft Hardware Failures.
Microsoft has decided to cease production of its HoloLens headsets.
The first time I used Microsoft's HoloLens headset, I was immensely impressed. I played Minecraft on a coffee table, and the virtual explosions made it look like there were actual holes in it. I was compelled to take off the device to check that there weren't real bats flying out of the walls around me. In 2015, HoloLens represented Microsoft's most fascinating product in years, offering a first glimpse into a future beyond smartphones, where the real world became a canvas for holograms. However, like many Microsoft hardware products, it failed to last long enough to turn that vision into reality.
The initial demonstrations, which also included a simulation of walking on Mars, turned out to be much more impressive than the actual HoloLens experience when it was finally released a year later. For those early presentations, Microsoft used prototype units that connected glasses to a mini-computer that you had to wear hanging from your neck. Test participants had to put away their smartphones to prevent anyone from recording images of the prototype.
When the $3,000 HoloLens was shipped to developers in 2016, its field of view and level of immersion did not match that initial Minecraft demonstration. This was an early indication that delivering a truly immersive augmented reality experience in a lightweight, affordable, and comfortable device would require several years of development.
