MS Hololens

[IronWing]

I watched today's video of the Hololens and this thing looks like it has real potential for all sorts of fun. The video shows single player action but I think it would shine for playing multi-player games around the house. You could even turn the dog into a battle cat. 😛

The non-game potential for sitting and chatting with avatars or previewing furniture is also there.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

As many people before me have stated that this when demoed looks better than what it will do in real life, the resolution is small, the field of view that can be drawn on is small, these demos can't be taken at face value, everything about them is engineered to make them look their best.

The same problem occurred with the Oculus Rift, it looks OK in youtube presentations on a small screen, but blow that up to your entire vision when you're wearing it, the experience while very immersive certainly isn't what you think it is when you see it demoed.

 

[IronWing]

Hmmm, well hopefully resolution will reach a point that the VR lives up to the hype. What caught my attention was the interaction with the real environment. I can imagine future games that play like horror movies in your own house. Jason with his chainsaw in your kitchen or the Temple of Gozer in your fridge.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I hope it doesn't end up being an enhanced Nintendo Wii.
However non gaming stuff could justify it.
I can't figure out how it "pins" objects to an area, why don't the robots move with your head?

 

[SMOGZINN]

I can't figure out how it "pins" objects to an area, why don't the robots move with your head?

That is what caught me too. I know that such things are possible with current technology, but I doubt very seriously that anything an average consumer can afford could do it in real time.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I read somewhere the developer version should cost 3-4k next year. I doubt the consumer version will be cheap but who knows it does look cool and I can easily see great non gaming uses.
The earlier video of a plumber circling and superimposing parts to help someone fix a problem looked realistic and cool.

MS treats this project very seriously. I read from a reporter given early access to it that the lab is underground and guarded. He was not allowed to ask anyone's name if the employee did not offer it, all names he was offered were initials or first names.

 

[Sabrewings]

I can't figure out how it "pins" objects to an area, why don't the robots move with your head?

That is what caught me too. I know that such things are possible with current technology, but I doubt very seriously that anything an average consumer can afford could do it in real time.

I believe it uses sensors similar to the Kinect's to process its 3D surroundings. As your head moves, it detects the change and adjusts the image accordingly.