Today's pre-order launch of the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition also comes with news of a number of Windows 10-based apps that have been developed specifically for the augmented reality headset.
in a blog post, Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda talks about some of those apps, and videos have also been posted that show them off. One of them is HoloStudio:
"It's the first program of its kind, allowing people to easily create 3D in 3D – at real-world scale. We are hopeful that this application will easily allow any developer to envision and create the holograms they need for their own applications. But HoloStudio also shows how to use the HoloLens interaction model of gaze, gesture, and voice."
Another app is the HoloLens version of Skype:
"We believe Skype is an important experience to highlight for developers for two reasons. First, it shows a best in class example of how you can build a holographic application that can be enjoyed by people who don't have a HoloLens. Skype on HoloLens allows people running Skype on any Windows device to interact in the holographic world. This application will show how holograms can be used for remote collaboration and training in a way previously impossible. This type of communication has enormous potential in both the consumer and business world. Secondly, it will allow developers to communicate with each other using the holographic medium to share development methods and seek the advice of others. With Skype, you can see the holograms the other person is seeing and you can use holograms to illustrate helpful techniques or development approaches."
There are also three HoloLens games available for developers. One is the first-person-shooter RoboRaid:
"It uses your real world as the environment. Nothing adds urgency to 1st person shooter gameplay like seeing alien robots breaking through the walls of your own home. It uses spatial sound as a huge feature of the game. When you hear walls crumbling behind you it is impossible to not spin around and defend your turf. It highlights how to use our gaze, gesture, and voice input model in a fast and frenetic gameplay experience."
Another game is Young Conker, a platformer based on Rare's Conker game franchise:
" Unlike with traditional video games, where people play the same digitally created levels – Young Conker tailors each of the levels you play to your real world. This means every person gets a unique gameplay experience since each gamers real world environment is unique. It is amazing how different the play experience feels based on playing the game in your living room versus your kitchen or your bedroom. "
Finally there is Fragments, a mystery and crime drama:
Gamers are able to investigate clues and solve crimes that are seemingly taking place in their own living rooms. As a holographic platform highlight, Fragments demonstrates how creators can build characters and storylines that drive a higher level of emotional engagement and attachment than you can with any other medium. "
Another app that was not show in a video is HoloTour:
On the Development Edition, HoloTour allows people to transport to a different location and experience it like they are really there. You see high-resolution 360-degree panoramic displays of places like Rome and Machu Picchu. HoloTour highlights two unique capabilities of HoloLens. Being untethered, HoloLens allows you to enjoy a virtual trip by actually walking around the location. While immersive, the experience still embraces mixed reality, as it allows you to physically walk around spaces and get up close to objects while remaining untethered from a PC, phone or other device."
Source: Microsoft
