Microsoft might be continually pushing its mixed reality (MR) headset, HoloLens, out to new markets, making it more easily available through rental agreements or planning a new version, yet it’s been sometime since current users have seen a major update. That’s due to change soon after information from the recent HoloDevelopers Summit revealed several new features are reportedly on the way.
HoloDevelopers Summit organiser and Roarke Software founder Jesse McCulloch confirmed that those on the Windows Insider programme would likely see a number of new features by the end of this month after summit attendees got an early update, reports Next Reality.
One of the major additions is that of two-handed gesture control. Like the GIF above demonstrates, this would give HoloLens users much greater control over virtual objects. This particular feature has actually been around for awhile with a Windows Mixed Reality Developer forum post from 2016 saying: “Yes, it is possible to implement two handed gestures…..That said, we do not recommend two handed gestures as it is very easy for one of the user’s hands to lose tracking by either moving the hand too far or by rotating the head and causing a hand to leave the gesture frame.” What’s changed in that time is unclear, but it could be to do with developers asking for greater optimisation due to the practical applications.
Other features are set to include: 3D Live Tiles, for a more interactive shell; a Research mode that would give developers access to the raw sensor data produced by HoloLens; a Fluent Design throughout the menu interface; and WebVR, allowing the upgraded browser to access immersive content online.
While this is good news for developers, HoloLens is still very much an enterprise focused MR product as it retails for $3,000 USD. On the consumer side there’s always the Windows Mixed Reality headsets which are more virtual reality (VR) based in their design and much, much cheaper. If you happen to own on of these whilst being part of the Windows Insider programme, VRFocus recently reported on a new preview build update users may want to miss out on. For any further HoloLens updates, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR