Even though the virtual reality industry is still in the early stages, some companies are looking to the future. Microsoft, for example, is banking on mixed reality to become a major industry moving forward. The company will organize a Windows Mixed Reality event on October 3rd. It is expected we will find out more about the HoloLens and any other AR and VR creations the company has been working on over the past few months.
Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Event Sounds Promising
Even though there are still a lot of unknowns about mixed reality right now, the industry is gaining momentum as we speak. Microsoft is one of the biggest players in this industry as we speak, thanks to their HoloLens and other tools. It is expected we will know more during the upcoming event scheduled for October 3rd. Not too much is known about the event itself, other than a scheduled presentation by Alex Kipman. Some people will recall his name, as is he the inventor of the HoloLens and the Microsoft Kinect as well.
According to speculation, it is highly likely we will see a few more Windows Mixed Reality headsets. A lot of manufacturers are working on such hardware as we speak, although very few of these projects have come to market so far. We do know Acer and HP have already announced pricing for their headset. Dell and Lenovo are eyeing a $349 price tag, but that has not officially been confirmed yet. Asus will not bring anything to market until the late first half of 2018.
Do keep in mind we will not see a new version of the Microsoft HoloLens for quite some time. Although this second iteration is currently in development, there will be no demo unit during the October 3 event. It may even take until late 2019 until we see HoloLens V2, or whatever name it will be given at the end. All we know about this second generation headset is how it will feature an AI chip, but that is about all for now. It is an interesting piece of hardware, though, that much is certain.
All things considered, the upcoming Windows Mixed Reality event will be pretty interesting. It is good to see this industry mature in front of our own eyes. Whether or not it will compete with virtual reality remains to be seen, though. It is evident they are not necessarily the same by any means, yet they are not exactly competitors either. Then again, no one knows what the future may hold for virtual and mixed reality right now.
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