Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the next major tech event on the calendar, and it looks as though Microsoft will be using its press conference to unveil the next version of its mixed reality (MR) headset, HoloLens 2.0.
Microsoft’s technical fellow and HoloLens creator Alex Kipman released a very short video teaser for the upcoming headset on his YouTube channel. It doesn’t showcase the device in any way, more alluding to several components such as a new Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) and what looks like carbon fibre sections.
The original Microsoft HoloLens launched in 2016, purely as an enterprise-focused device retailing for $3,000 USD. While the company hasn’t yet released specific details regarding price or specs, the headset is expected to feature a wider field of view (FoV) – currently, it’s a rather narrow 35-degrees – a new generation Kinect sensor, improved comfort, better battery life and is reportedly going to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 850 processor.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Microsoft continues down the enterprise path for HoloLens 2.0, or if it’s now considering a more consumer-friendly price point for the next-generation device. Companies and organisations like NASA and Luminous Group are always the ones shown to be using HoloLens, yet developers such as HappyGiant have already ported videogames like HoloGrid: Monster Battle to the system.
Microsoft’s Mobile World Congress press event will be taking place on Sunday, 24th February 2019 at 5pm CET (11am ET), Barcelona, Spain, with CEO Satya Nadella, CVP Julia White, and of course technical fellow Alex Kipman in attendance.
When further details regarding Microsoft HoloLens 2.0 have been released, VRFocus will keep you updated.