HoloLens Developer Edition Costs USD $3000, Launches March 30

Last year, Microsoft told us that the device would be available in Q1, 2016, and cost $3,000 for the developer kit. Microsoft is seeking a wide range of developers to hop on board and begin creating software for its augmented reality headset and is now taking applications from Windows Insiders in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada. Apps we’ve seen before will include HoloStudio, a 3D modeling app that was one of the very first apps Microsoft demonstrated for HoloLens, and Skype, which was also part of that initial reveal.

The price will be $3,000, the company announced Monday. A clicker accessory for interacting with the holograms will be included in the box. The device itself, which can run untethered from a desktop computer, will feature 64GB of Flash memory and 2GB of RAM (which seems rather low). Battery life is estimated at 2 to 3 hours of “active use”, though it can be used while charging via its USB port. The whole thing weighs 579g/1.37lb. But it’s coming after Google has made its Cardboard virtual reality headset available (more than 5 million have been shipped) and Samsung has launched its Gear VR headset to the general public.

In addition, there are plenty of sensors, microphones and a camera. Data captured from these sensors is processed by what Microsoft calls a Holographic Processing Unit – a 32-bit Intel chip designed specifically to deal with these numerous inputs. Microsoft also has a 2-megapixel HD camera to capture videos and photos.

Kudo Tsunoda, corporate vice president at Microsoft, is quoted as saying that, “Fragments blends the line between the digital world and the real world more than any other experience we built”. “The key to a great holographic experience is holograms that are light point rich, i.e., they have a high holographic density and are pinned, or anchored, to the world around you”. HoloLens will also be able to understand sound around you as another source of information.

Next month will see developers finally get their hands on Microsoft’s augmented reality platform, HoloLens. In this one, the setting is a kind of crime drama.

Fragments is a crime game that takes place in your living room, allowing you to investigate the case and interview characters that will appear to be in the same room as you. Asobo Studios, the company behind Young Conker, promises that, “the game changes based on what environment the gamer is playing in”.