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Microsoft detail how HoloLens is different to VR

Ben Rayner
April 9, 2015

Microsoft has started talking about what makes HoloLens a totally different prospect to virtual reality headsets.

When Microsoft unveiled the HoloLens back in January, along with a handful of demos including living room Minecraft, it’s safe to say we were excited!

Could augmented reality actually be within our grasp? Can it beat VR headsets for the ultimate entertainment experience?

According to Kudo Tsunoda, Microsoft’s visionary behind the Kinect, HoloLens is much more than a gimmick and has much more potential than the current VR headsets such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus.

Speaking in the latest issue of GameInformer, Tsunoda had this to say:

“The thing that HoloLens does is allow you to blend your digital world with your real world. [The] bringing of those two things together unlocks all kinds of experiences.”

“None of that stuff is things you could do with VR. It’s nothing against VR; I think VR is great tech. But it’s the ‘blending of the world’ part about HoloLens that makes it unique. From a gameplay perspective, it’s being able to make your real world environment an integral part of the experience. That’s really different than what you would get from a VR experience.”

Tsunoda went on to say that the HoloLens also has the capacity to be a fantastic teaching tool, thanks to its use of holograms. Stating that, being able to draw holograms into the HoloLens world is a “compelling thing for being able to teach people skills, and allowing them to collaborate in ways they couldn’t do before.

While Microsoft haven’t yet announced any games for HoloLens, apart from the Minecraft tech demo that was shown, it’s definitely an area the company will be no doubt looking into. Here’s hoping Halo 6 is HoloLens compatible eh?

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