So far, HoloLens 2 looks a lot like its predecessor: boring and unlikely to get the mainstream attention it needs to become more than a footnote in history.
If there’s any piece of technology that should be tantalizing audiences right now, it should be HoloLens 2. On paper, Microsoft’s augmented reality headset ticks all the boxes: futuristic hardware literally defining an all-new product category, backed by virtually unlimited development resources. So why does it feel like a disaster in the making?
Unlike the original HoloLens, which was introduced to the world with a jaw-dropping Minecraft AR demo, HoloLens 2 still hasn’t gotten past the point of being mildly intriguing. Despite spending years in development, it was unveiled in February with about as much of a bang as a new Surface computer, albeit one with a $3,500 price tag. It was as if Microsoft was content to go through the motions with the reveal, even though it’s not actually expecting to sell many devices — the situation that befell the original HoloLens.
Today was a particularly bad day for HoloLens 2. For some reason, Microsoft decided to open its Build event keynote with a HoloLens demo that would depict “cutting edge technology of the 1960s” — an Apollo space mission, recreated using Unreal Engine 4. Our own Dean Takahashi posted extensive details and images of what was supposed to happen, but the demo didn’t work at all, and the presenters abruptly aborted their Apollo mission, walking off the stage to scattered laughter.
