Microsoft is teasing the reveal of a 'HoloLens 2' next-generation mixed reality headset, ahead of this year's Mobile World Congress 2019 conference.
In a teaser trailer posted to the YouTube channel of Alex Kipman (the Microsoft executive leading HoloLens development), we're shown a render of a new device being formed through the power of abstract science fiction imagineering.
So yep, don't expect hard facts here folks, just some cool brooding synths and space-age metallic surfaces:
- What is augmented reality?
- Hands on: Microsoft HoloLens review
- Windows Mixed Reality: everything you need to know
What to expect
Kipman's video shares only one truly concrete piece of information: a date. February 24 of 2019 will mark the unveiling of whatever device Microsoft has up its sleeve, putting it around the same time as the big mobile device showcase, MWC 2019, in Barcelona.
Could that suggest a wirefree, truly mobile experience? Who knows – but there are a few rumors that are starting to give us an impression of what HoloLens 2 could look like.
We've heard reports that the HoloLens 2 could potentially use either Qualcomm's XR1 or Snapdragon 850 ARM processors, with a wider field of view. It's also likely to be a more lightweight design than the cumbersome original, which the renderings of what appears to be carbon fiber design too.
The original HoloLens remains at present, at best, a hobbyist device, primarily reserved for enterprise users, while the Windows Mixed Reality program headsets from the likes of Acer and ASUS are more consumer-facing takes on the headset concept.
But HoloLens remains the most recognisable branding in the AR field, and could yet prove a consumer hit if the right sorts of revisions to design, pricing and software support are made with a true successor.
