The end of March 2016 was a busy time for new technology launches as Oculus Rift arrived on the 28th, HTC Vive landed on 5th April and Microsoft’s HoloLens began shipments on 30th March. This week the Redmond, Washington-based firm has announced that the second wave of shipments for the mixed reality (MR) head-mounted display (HMD) have started.
In a twitter posting Microsoft said: “Wave two invitations for #HoloLens Development Edition have started. Check your status: http://bit.ly/1ZjO60D .”
Any developer who signed up and purchased the $3000 USD development kit will now be able to check their order and see when they’re likely to receive it. But that’s only for studios based in the US or Canada at present, currently anyone outside of those two countries who wants one isn’t able to buy the HMD. Microsoft still isn’t divulging when it plans to release HoloLens internationally, one twitter user posed the question and got the response: “We’ll let you know when we have more info to share.”
One developer that’s had ample access outside of the American market is Asobo Studios. The French indie announced three titles back in April that would be available to download for the device. They were Fragments, Young Conker and HoloTour. All three experiences explore different ways the HMD can be used, with Fragments turning a room into a crime scene, Young Conker reimagines Rare’s character in MR and HoloTour lets users explore various parts of the world.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of HoloLens, reporting back with the latest announcements.
