Microsoft’s HoloLens Development Edition Now Available For Preorder

It’s proven to be quite a day for alternate reality technologies. Earlier, we talked about HTC’s Vive becoming available for preorder, and with that taking care of VR, Microsoft takes care of AR (augmented reality) by opening up preorders for its HoloLens developer edition.

Last fall, we learned that this particular HoloLens kit would be priced at $3,000, and that hasn’t changed. In an official blog post, Microsoft stands by that price, and says that the first units will be shipping out at the end of March.

Unlike VR, which completely blocks out the outside world, AR augments the world around you. You can build an object right in your living room, and walk around it as if it were a physical object. Both AR and VR have their own set of perks, so whether one is better than the other will depend on the scenario. In this case, we wouldn’t blame you if HoloLens’ $3,000 price tag swayed you against this particular solution.

Microsoft itself showed off a great use of AR this past year when it teamed up with Volvo to change the car-buying experience for consumers. With a HoloLens strapped on, you could be shown in easy-to-understand detail all of what makes that new Volvo worth buying. While anyone is going to look at a real car before committing to a purchase, this technology would allow people to see their prospective cars inside and out, and become better informed overall.

Using HoloLens to become better informed about prospective vehicle purchases

Since its announcement, Microsoft says that thousands of developers have taken HoloLens for a spin, and that the number of supported apps available right now is in the “hundreds”. “Developers who purchase HoloLens will have immediate access to hundreds of UWP apps through the Windows Store – great and familiar apps like OneDrive, Maps, Remote Desktop, People, Movies & TV, Groove Music and Microsoft Office apps” writes Microsoft’s Alex Kipman.

Inside the box of the HoloLens development edition is the head-mounted display, a clicker, carrying case, microfiber cloth, a charger, and something quite rare indeed: a USB cable. Full specs are:

If you’re a developer looking to pick one of these up, you’ll want to head here to get started. Outside of Windows 10, you’ll need Visual Studio 2015 as well as Unity 5.4.

What would you like to see made possible with HoloLens, or AR in general?