Microsoft first announced HoloLens 2 in February with a vague promise the augmented reality head mounted display (HMD) to make the device available “in the coming months”. After several months of pre-order availability, the company has confirmed HoloLens 2 will on sale from September.
Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Microsoft executive vice president Harry Shum, made the announcement. He said the device will be available through two avenues.
For HoloLens 2 Development Edition customers, the device is only available through the Mixed Reality Developer Program. The HMD will come with the following:
- HoloLens 2 mixed reality device
- $500.00 in Azure credits – To jump start your mixed reality development using Azure mixed reality services
- 3-month free trials of Unity Pro and the Unity PiXYZ Plugin for CAD data.
Customers in enterprise can either buy the hardware for $3500 upfront, or through the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist bundle, which starts at $125 per month.
HoloLens 2 instantly looks more svelte, maybe not as trimmed down as Magic Leap, but still it seems much more comfortable than the original. In terms of general design, five cameras sit on the front of the device and the lenses/screens are now clear.
New HoloLens Full Specs
Display:
- Optics – See-through holographic lenses (waveguides)
- Resolution – 2k 3:2 light engines
- Holographic Density – >2.5k radiants (light points per radian)
- Eye-based Rendering – Display optimization for 3D eye position
Sensors & Audio:
- Depth – Azure Kinect sensor
- IMU – Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
- Camera – 8MP stills, 1080p30 video
- Microphone Array – 5 channels
- Speakers – Built-in, Spatial Audio
Human Understanding:
- Hand Tracking – Two-handed fully articulated model, direct manipulation
- Eye Tracking – Real-time tracking
- Voice – Command and control on-device, Natural Language with internet connectivity
Environmental Understanding:
- 6DoF Tracking – World-scale positional tracking
- Spatial Mapping – Real-time environment mesh
- Mixed Reality Capture – Mixed hologram and physical environment photos and videos
Compute & Connectivity:
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Compute Platform
- HPU: 2nd Generation Custom-built Holographic Processing Unit
- WiFi: 802.11ac 2×2
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- USB: USB Type-C
Power:
- Battery Life – 2-3 hours of active use
- Charging – USB Power Delivery – Fast Charging
- Thermals – Passively Cooled
Fit:
- Size – Fits over glasses, size using adjustment dial
Software:
- Windows Holographic OS
- Edge
- Remote Assist
- Layout
- Guides
- 3D Viewer
- OneDrive for Business
