Microsoft has halted production of its HoloLens 2 virtual reality headset Consumers and commercial customers have one last chance to buy the device while supplies last. According to the UploadVR portal, HoloLens 2 will receive “critical security and software updates” until December 31, 2027. Starting in 2028, software support for VR headsets will be discontinued.
The original model of Microsoft’s HoloLens VR headset, released in 2016, will end support on December 10 this year, literally two months from now. Production of this headset was discontinued in 2018. The HoloLens 2 model was released in 2019, three years after the original model, and offered improvements in almost every aspect. In the second version of the device, the field of view is better, there is support for higher resolutions, there is a function of tracking the user’s eyes, and in general the system for tracking the user’s hand movements has been improved. Additionally, the headset is equipped with more efficient components and has a more comfortable fit.
HoloLens 2 dominated the enterprise augmented reality market for several years, as VR headsets with full vision support (you can see the actual space in front of you through the viewfinder) were still years away, and Magic Leap was focused on the consumer VR segment at the time. But by modern standards the device is still obsolete. While the HoloLens 2 has a wider viewing angle than its predecessor, it’s still smaller than what more modern VR headsets offer.
Magic Leap entered the enterprise VR market just a month after the release of HoloLens 2. In 2022, it introduced the Magic Leap 2 virtual reality headset with a wider viewing angle and more efficient filling. Against the background of the more expensive, but also more interesting mixed reality XR headsets from Varjo and Apple, as well as the more affordable Meta headset models with support for direct imaging, HoloLens 2 is completely lost.
A few years ago, Microsoft hinted at the possible release of HoloLens 3. As a result, the device was abandoned for some reason, the media wrote. “confusion and strategic uncertainty” within the company. In 2022, Microsoft left Alex Kipman (Alex Kipman), a leading developer of mixed reality technologies, and in 2023-2024 the VR division of the company will significantly shrink.
Although there is a consumer version HoloLens 2 Microsoft, which went on vacation, said in a meeting with UploadVR that it would continue to develop the military version of the HoloLens IVAS VR headset. The US Army plans to conduct new operational tests of the device in early 2025 before deciding whether to begin full-scale production of the VR headset by the end of next year.
Source: Port Altele
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