Oculus Rift is "virtual reality" while Microsoft HoloLens is "augmented reality". Conceptually, they're two different things. HoloLens is why Google Glass died. It shows an ignorance of the reporter when they do not know the difference between VR and AR and how content must be formatted differently for both.

YEP , get back with me when I can do what Howard/ Tony Stark can in his garage , with grabbing VR items in thin air and modifying it , then I'll be impressed.......

aka_STEVE_b
YEP , get back with me when I can do what Howard/ Tony Stark can in his garage , with grabbing VR items in thin air and modifying it , then I'll be impressed.......

They did exactly that. MS had a guy demo making a virtual model xwing in augmented reality, them moving it off and 3d printing it. It's completely amazing.

djcypher1
I don't know.  If HoloLens  actually looks like and can do what the video below portrays, then I think it's (explative) AWESOME!  Just the part that shows the father helping his daughter with plumbing is cool.  Any real-time collaboration in a virtual space like that has so many uses.  Imagine how it would change the learning process.  You could actually DO what you're learning, which is always more efficient than just having something explained in text or in a typical, classroom setting.
 
....and working with CAD renderings in 3D space like that......sign me up!
 
Of course, I can also see everyone bumping into everything around them as they get accustomed to the perspective of operating in the real and virtual world simultaneously...LOL
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThCr0PsyuA

Apparently it indeed does do what they showed in the video. Check out reviews from journalists who actually used it hands on. MS used the same demos for them to try out, sans the 3d/CAD modeling one. They had a MS person demo that... probably too complicated to learn for a 1st timer.

That said, I didn't read about anyone having issues navigating in RL, although one tech reviewer stated he found it was pretty easy to move around without issue:

http://mashable.com/2015/...s-hands-on-experience/

djcypher1

mistermister


Apparently it indeed does do what they showed in the video. Check out reviews from journalists who actually used it hands on. MS used the same demos for them to try out, sans the 3d/CAD modeling one. They had a MS person demo that... probably too complicated to learn for a 1st timer.

That said, I didn't read about anyone having issues navigating in RL, although one tech reviewer stated he found it was pretty easy to move around without issue:

http://mashable.com/2015/...s-hands-on-experience/

 
Nice article find.  I'm actually really excited about HoloLens.  Not just for my own use, but I think if Microsoft, developers, and software engineers can pull this off the right way, it will be a major milestone in UI and communication.

Also I want to visit Mars!

The demos are highly situational in nature right now. I like where it's heading but there are very static examples being used. I would be much more impressed to see it work in an actual dynamic environment where the room content and geometry is not known before hand. Right now every example was staged at a specific location and in a specific configuration. Once I see it done in dynamic locations I'll be a b it more optimistic about it.

djcypher1

Brad_Hawthorne
The demos are highly situational in nature right now. I like where it's heading but there are very static examples being used. I would be much more impressed to see it work in an actual dynamic environment where the room content and geometry is not known before hand. Right now every example was staged at a specific location and in a specific configuration. Once I see it done in dynamic locations I'll be a b it more optimistic about it.

Totally agree.  That's why I was saying "if it looks like in the ad".  However, even if you told me it would only work in one room in my house that I had to configure first, I'd be impressed.  Think about it;  Your computer is in one location, with a fixed focal point (screen) and that scenario hasn't changed much over the course of computer history.  Even our input devices are pretty much the same, except now they light up and have more buttons. 
 
I think this is the first rung on a ladder that will change how we interact with our computers.... as long as they get it right.  I don't think it will take me fully away from my keyboard and mouse, but it may start the progression that does 5-10 years from now.

Technology works best when it's a seamless experience that just works. Look at things like cellphone proliferation in society or GPS location services. Those things are prevalent in most everywhere you are. You get AR to that level of just working and it'll become second nature. That is a long road to travel to get there from here though.
 
My largest worry with Microsoft is there is a huge disconnect between Microsoft Research and Microsoft retail. Often times things are done within Microsoft Research just to create buzz and generate interest in Microsoft itself. Very little of it sees the light of day. I'm a slight bit more optimistic about HoloLens though because it's based upon some of Microsoft's existing IP in the use of  Kinect depth perception mapping. The visual systems design was purchased IP from a third party source.
 
The VR and AR ecosystems are very volatile at the moment. There are going to be quite a few winners and even more losers in the marketplace. I look at HoloLens and realize why Google just shuttered Google Glass before it achieved consumer acceptance. There are groups investing millions into VR and AR that are going to lose their shirt between now and 2020.