In February this year, Microsoft its new mixed reality headset HoloLens 2. Now, at the Microsoft Build conference, the company announced that the device is becoming available to developers, while receiving software support for the Unreal Engine 4 SDK.
The release of the developer version of the HoloLens 2 means that Microsoft is entering the phase of active implementation of its augmented reality system and is starting to build a software infrastructure around the device. Support for Unreal Engine 4 at the same time seems to be a very significant success, since the director of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, had previously been extremely skeptical about working with Microsoft. However, this did not stop him from promising support for HoloLens 2 back in February.
The main advantages of HoloLens 2 compared to the first version of the headset are from a more comfortable design and weight reduction, as well as more than doubling the field of view and increasing the resolution to 2K for each eye. The way the user interacts with the built-in 'holograms' goggles has also been improved by introducing a 10-point sensory model and the ability to move 'holograms' behind the gaze instead of rigidly attaching them to some objects in space. The glasses are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 processor, equipped with a high-resolution camera and equipped with a high-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter.
The HoloLens 2 Development Edition headset will cost developers $3500, or Microsoft will let you rent the hardware for $99 per month. This means that the cost of the device for developers does not differ from the estimated price of HoloLens 2 for business users, to whom the glasses are expected to become available before the end of this year. At the same time, the developer version, unlike the commercial version, includes a $500 bonus in Azure services, and is also provided with three-month access to the Unity Pro content development platform and the PIXYZ CAD plugin.
While the first version of the augmented reality headset was positioned by the company as a device aimed at the consumer market, HoloLens 2 is more of a business device. Naturally, this does not negate the possibility of gaming use of an augmented reality headset, but given the cost and the possibility of integrating the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, HoloLens 2 will most likely be in demand in professional applications. The new support for Unreal Engine 4 should allow developers to generate photorealistic images for use in manufacturing, design, architecture, and more.
Source: 3dnews.ru