HoloLens will be available to developers “within the next year”

Microsoft’s augmented reality HoloLens headset will be available for developers within the next year, CEO Satya Nadella says.

A couple of months back Microsoft demonstrated its hologram projecting device that it called HoloLens.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC’s Click programme, Nadella said that a developer launch is on the cards “within the next year”.

This augmented reality headset was demoed in April and then June at E3, but Microsoft said that this product is still a work in progress.

So far, the company has been unwilling to confirm an official release date for HoloLens, aside from a general statement that it will be released “for the Windows 10 era”. Microsoft has run demos in which HoloLens can be used for everything from architecture to video games and video conferencing. After that, it will be released for business users, before it becomes a consumer device.

What developers are likely to get is a core product that Microsoft believes is ready for early software testing and development.

In his interview, Nadella revealed that the company was working on “developer versions of [HoloLens] first and then more commercial use cases”. “We’re looking forward to getting the V1 out, which is more around developers and enterprises in the Windows 10 time frame”, he added.

This is a five year journey.