Microsoft has a new version of its augmented reality headset, which it is marketing as being ready for use in business environments.
It says that HoloLens 2 now detects where its users are looking and tracks the movements of their hands. The software giant claims that users will now find it easier to touch and otherwise interact with graphics superimposed over their real-world views.
Augmented reality is different to virtual reality and many commentators believe that the former, which mixes together graphics and real-world views, has greater potential than the latter, which removes the user from their immediate environment.
However, with the exception of Pokemon Go and Snapchat-style photo filters, which can insert kitten ears on an image of your face, augmented reality has so far struggled to find mainstream appeal for businesses.
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress trade show, Paul Miller from Forrester commented: “With HoloLens 2, Microsoft has worked hard to improve both the resolution of the display and its field-of-view, resulting in a more immersive and believable experience.”
Indeed, the firm described the display resolution changes as being “the equivalent of moving from a 720p high-definition image to a 2K one for each eye”.
However, many industry experts remain sceptical about the potential of this technology.
Nick McQuire from CCS Insight told the BBC: “The jury is still firmly out on whether companies can be convinced to go all in on HoloLens, but if there is one company that can do it, it is probably Microsoft.”
He continued: “While improving the security and design will be major pluses, Microsoft will need to ensure there are durable and rugged models from partners for industrial applications and that it works well on a range of wi-fi signals for it to have mass appeal and overcome previous problems.”
The Enterprise Edition of HoloLens 2 has been priced at $3,500 (£2,680), which represents a 30% reduction over the previous version.
