It’s a busy two weeks for the virtual reality (VR) industry with the launch of the Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD) earlier this week and the arrival of the HTC Vive in the next. But it looks like there could be some time to fit some mixed reality (MR) in-between. Microsoft is hosting its annual Build developer conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from 30th March – 1st April, just a few weeks after the same venue hosted the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Now the company has dated its opening keynote for the event.
The keynote will be taking place at 08:30 PT on 30th March. You’ll be able to follow along with the event and a selection of the sessions that will take place following it via Channel 9. It will also be available to watch on-demand around 24 hours after it’s first taken place. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed exactly what it will be showcasing at this year’s keynote but it’s a good bet that the company’s HoloLens MR HMD will be there in some form or another given that a developer edition can now be pre-ordered.
In fact, 30th March is actually the shipping date for this version of the device in both the US and Canada, with other territories expected to follow in the near future. HoloLens costs $3,000 USD for developers and includes a handful of apps to prove its potential. These range from videogames such as Young Conker to other applications like HoloStudio. Other developers are already creating unique content for the like, including this week’s reveal of the intriguing ‘Holoportation’ concept from I3D.
Check back with VRFocus for more on HoloLens.
