Microsoft introduces its new mixed reality headset HoloLens 2, AI camera for developers
Microsoft unveiled its new mixed reality headset called the HoloLens 2 at the ongoing 2019 Mobile World Congress on Sunday. The new HoloLens 2 comes with a more immersive and comfortable design that will be available for $3,500 in the US, China, Japan, Canada, Germany, Ireland, UK, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Microsoft said during the event, "We have more than doubled the field of view in HoloLens 2, while maintaining the industry-leading holographic density of 47 pixels per degree of sight".
The HoloLens 2 comes with the new time-of-flight depth sensor that comes combined with semantic understanding and built-in Artificial Intelligence (AI). HoloLens 2 allows direct manipulation of holograms with the same instinctual interactions one would use with physical objects in the real world.
According to the company, the HoloLens 2 comes with eye-tracking sensors that make interacting with holograms even more natural.
It comes with a new dial-in fit system that makes the headset comfortable while wearing it for long durations.
Apart from the HoloLens 2, Microsoft also announced Azure Kinect Developer Kit (DK) that fuses industry-leading AI camera in a single device for developers.
"At its core is the time-of-flight depth sensor we developed for HoloLens 2, a high-def RGB camera and a 7-microphone circular array that will enable development of advanced computer vision and speech solutions with Azure," explained the company.
Initially available in the US and China, the Azure Kinect DK is available for preorder at $399.
Microsoft also announced two new Azure mixed reality services that will aid developers and businesses to build contextual, cross-platform and enterprise-grade mixed reality applications.
