Microsoft's HoloLens Development Edition is reportedly going up for pre-orders starting tomorrow, February 29 for its expected launch on March 30. The news came via a pulled report from the Fortune site and was reposted in its entirety on Reddit by user named 'Shooob'.
Evidently, the news was embargoed for a press release that was broken early.
In addition to the pre-order and launch date, which coincides with Microsoft's Build developer conference in San Francisco new games that are shipping with the holographic computer were also revealed.
The Development Edition kits are expected to sell for around $3,000 and include various tester programs including:
- HoloStudio – HoloStudio lets developers create 3D resources as well as to teach developers various commands like gaze, gesture, and voice for games and applications. HoloStudio was demoed last year during Microsoft's 2015 Build conference.
- Skype – The special version of Skype "allows people running Skype on any Windows device to interact with the holographic world."
- HoloTour – This app brings 360-degree panoramic displays of places like Rome and Machu Picchu creating the illusion that a user is there. HoloTour reportedly also features 3D sound and lets users "walk around" those various locations
Regarding Skype, Kudo Tsunoda, corporate vice president at Microsoft is quoted in the Forbes article as saying:
"This type of communication has enormous potential in both the consumer and business world. 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. It is our hope that the holographic development community will be just that—a community."
Finally, the Forbes article notes that ActionGram, which was leaked a week ago,, will also be coming later this summer. The app is reportedly a "holographic storytelling medium…" and that it "…will allow developers to blend holographic content into real world settings, allowing anybody to create emotionally compelling and humorous videos."
HoloLens should be featured prominently during Microsoft's Build conference at the end of March in San Francisco. Windows Central will be on hand to cover the event. Microsoft began taking applications for pre-orders for HoloLens and a report last month suggested around 3,000 of the holographic computers were created in anticipation of its early release for developers.
Source: Fortune (pulled), Reddit
