One of the many things announced this week at MWC 2019 was Microsoft‘s new HoloLens 2, coming with a number of improvements including a larger FOV (field of view). They claimed the new mixed reality headset will feature 2x the FOV of the previous HoloLens, which does give it a big jump between the two models.
They didn’t release (at the time) any specific numbers outside of the broad mention of around 2x the FOV, however Microsoft’s very own Alex Kipman took to Twitter to better define what this meant, pointing out that measurements are based on diagonal comparisons, bringing the FOV from 34 degrees (previous model) to a now 52 degrees.
No secrets… see https://t.co/stj7EVD13F – The first HoloLens had a 34-degree diagonal FOV; the new headset’s field of view … 52-degree diagonal field of view. More than 2x is area and most of the growth is vertical (no longer 16:9)
— Alex Kipman (@akipman) February 25, 2019
Of course, this doesn’t change that the new FOV is still tiny in comparison to what the human eye would prefer to see, as it doesn’t come anywhere close to your natural FOV. This means the mixed reality experience will only include a section of what’s in front of you. However, it at least brings the HoloLens closer to a few of their competitors, which is good since the HoloLens happens to be one of the best (technology-wise) mixed reality solutions on the market.
Just like the original HoloLens, it won’t come at an affordable price, limiting it to business, developer and educational use more than anything else. The price tag remains high at $3,500 for the HoloLens 2 headset, so you still won’t be finding it at home anytime soon.
Specifications:
Display | |
|---|---|
| Optics | See-through holographic lenses (waveguides) |
| Resolution | 2k 3:2 light engines |
| Holographic density | >2.5k radiants (light points per radian) |
| Eye-based rendering | Display optimization for 3D eye position |
Sensors | |
|---|---|
| Head tracking | |
| Eye tracking | |
| Depth | Azure Kinect sensor |
| IMU | Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer |
| Camera | 8MP stills, 1080p30 video |
Audio & speech | |
|---|---|
| Microphone array | 5 channels |
| Speakers | Built-in, spatial audio |
Human understanding | |
|---|---|
| Hand tracking | Two-handed fully articulated model, direct manipulation |
| Eye tracking | Real-time tracking |
| Voice | Command and control on-device, Natural Language with internet connectivity |
Environment understanding | |
|---|---|
| 6DoF tracking | World-scale positional tracking |
| Spatial mapping | Real-time environment mesh |
| Mixed reality capture | Mixed hologram and physical environment photos and videos |
Compute & connectivity | |
|---|---|
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Compute Platform |
| HPU | 2nd generation custom-built holographic processing unit |
| WiFi | 802.11ac 2×2 |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 |
| USB | USB Type-C |
Fit | |
|---|---|
| Single size | |
| Fits over glasses |
Software
- Windows Holographic Operating System
- Edge
- Dynamics 365 Remote Assist
- Dynamics 365 Layout
- Dynamics 365 Guides
- 3D Viewer
- OneDrive for Business
