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Microsoft is nixing its Windows mixed reality platform
Microsoft is ending its Windows Mixed Reality platform, adding to a list of deprecated Windows features. This includes Windows Mixed Reality, the accompanying Mixed Reality Portal app and Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR.
Microsoft will deliver improved HoloLens combat goggles to Army testers this month
Microsoft is giving the US Army updated HoloLens goggles that hopefully won't make soldiers nauseous.
DARPA wants AR goggles to help soldiers with complex tasks
A new DARPA research project is demoing a system that displays AI-generated instructions in AR headsets to guide soldiers through complicated tasks.
Congress blocks purchase of more Microsoft combat goggles
The US Congress opted not to approve the purchase of more Microsoft combat goggles for the US Army. Instead, it’s allocating funds for Microsoft to develop an updated version.
Microsoft brings full Teams integration to HoloLens 2
Microsoft's latest update for the HoloLens 2 makes it easier for users to collaborate with colleagues.
Microsoft's HoloLens headsets are giving US Army testers nausea
Microsoft's HoloLens headsets for the US Army are creating some problems, including headaches and a limited field of view.
HoloLens chief Alex Kipman is leaving Microsoft following allegations of misconduct
The company is splitting the HoloLens team after his departure.
HoloLens is not dead, says Microsoft's mixed reality chief
Microsoft has not abandoned development on HoloLens 3, according to the technical fellow who leads the company’s mixed reality division.
Microsoft has reportedly killed its plans for the HoloLens 3
The future of Microsoft's HoloLens is reportedly uncertain as the company struggles to put together a coherent mixed reality strategy.
Microsoft and Qualcomm are building custom chips for AR glasses
Microsoft and Qualcomm have teamed up to design custom chips for augmented reality glasses.
US Army delays Microsoft's $22 billion HoloLens deal
The US Army has delayed Microsoft's HoloLens headset rollout to September 2022, a year later than expected.
Microsoft Mesh aims to bring holographic virtual collaboration to all
Microsoft wants to make virtual collaboration accessible to everyone with Mesh.
Microsoft hires Apple’s former wireless tech chief for its hardware division
Ruben Caballero, a former Apple executive, has joined Microsoft as corporate vice president for hardware design and technology.
How HoloLens is helping advance the science of spaceflight
AR headsets haven't exactly caught on with the general public -- especially after the Google Glass debacle. Mixed reality technology has garnered a sizable amount of interest in a variety of professional industries, though, from medicine and education to design and engineering. Since 2015, the technology has even made its way into aerospace where NASA and its partners have leveraged Microsoft's HoloLens platform to revolutionize how spacecraft are constructed and astronauts perform their duties while in orbit.
Lenovo launches ThinkReality AR and VR headset for enterprises
Lenovo is continuing its expansion into new, unexpected categories outside of its PC business and today the company announced it's launching a new AR-and-VR system targeted at businesses. It's called ThinkReality, and from the looks and description of the device and platform, it looks like a competitor for Microsoft's HoloLens.
LA museum's sci-fi car exhibit includes HoloLens tours
There's a chance you've seen a movie car or two if you've visited a convention, but the Petersen Automotive Museum's offering should be more... elaborate. It's opening a "Hollywood Dream Machines" exhibit that will showcase 40 vehicles from sci-fi games and movies. Some of them are practically expected, like the DeLorean from Back to the Future, Deckard's sedan from Blade Runner and a lightcycle from Tron: Legacy. Others, however, are harder-to-see items like the GM Ultralight from Demolition Man as well as Lexuses from Black Panther and Minority Report. And how many times are you going to see life-size recreations of a Warthog from Halo or a Sparrow from Destiny?
US Army shows how it will use HoloLens in the field
When Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets.
Microsoft chief defends controversial military HoloLens contract
Microsoft employees objecting to a US Army HoloLens contract aren't likely to get many concessions from their company's leadership. CEO Satya Nadella has defended the deal in a CNN interview, arguing that Microsoft made a "principled decision" not to deny technology to "institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy." The exec also asserted that Microsoft was "very transparent" when securing the contract and would "continue to have that dialogue" with staff.
Epic Games' Unreal Engine will support HoloLens
You can't call HoloLens 2 a gaming platform, but Microsoft is at least laying the groundwork. Epic Games has announced that it's adding HoloLens support to Unreal Engine 4, the technology that powers a wide range of games and 3D productivity apps. It's "up and running" now, Epic's Tim Sweeney said, and should be available to all developers in May. You're not about to play an augmented-reality version of Fortnite. It should allow for "photorealistic" 3D in AR apps, though, and it's really just the start of Epic's plans.
Mozilla's mixed reality Firefox browser is coming to HoloLens 2
If you want to surf the web with Microsoft's HoloLens 2, you'll be guaranteed to have a browser optimized for the immersive format -- Mozilla is partnering with Microsoft to make Firefox Reality available for the next-gen headset. While it's unclear exactly how much this will vary from the existing browser (above), the developer hopes to learn more about bringing augmented-reality material to the web. It'll build on work for existing mixed reality headsets like Magic Leap and run on Mozilla's next-generation Servo platform.
