Microsoft HoloLens 2 Development Edition Now Available in the U.S.

Microsoft has launched the HoloLens 2 Development Edition in the United States, with more regions to follow before the end of the year.

By Luke Jones

November 3, 2020 2:31 pm CET

Microsoft debuted HoloLens 2 back in February 2019 but at the time no Development Edition was available. Microsoft has been slow to roll out availability of the second-generation augmented reality (AR) headset and platform. Nearly two years after launch, the HoloLens 2 Development Edition is now available.

Well, it is available if you happen to be in the United States. For now, the device is only available to US customers. Microsoft says that will change shortly when other regions are included by the end of the year.

Those regions are Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, UK, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.

Microsoft first announced the HoloLens 2 Development Edition in May 2019, a few months after the commercial version was announced. However, availability of the device took some time. We know the commercial version took over a year to reach the Microsoft Store, landing in June this year.

So, it makes sense the Development Edition is also late for the party. However, better late than never. If you are unfamiliar with this edition, it is a bundle package that includes the HoloLens 2 device and software focused on 3D augmented reality and interactive work. Also included is $500 in Microsoft Azure credits, a 3-month license and Unity Pro and Pixyz.

HoloLens 2 Specs

For developers coming to the HoloLens experience for the first time, here is the specsheet for the second generation.

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: