Microsoft HoloLens 2 announced at MWC 2019, with 2X FOV

Published , by Asif Khan

Microsoft just announced the new HoloLens 2 AR HMD at MWC 2019. The new augmented reality head-mounted display will boast two times the field of view of its predecessor. Microsoft is still on stage at MWC 2019 talking about the product.

Microsoft demoed some new hand presence technology during the presentation with a cool live look at how users will interact with apps and the OS using their hands.

Microsoft is also announcing a ton of partnerships where partners will be able to license out the HoloLens 2 tech to build their own AR HMDs. Trimble took the stage to unveil their XR10 HMD for use in construction work.

The future of AR will rely on enterprise use cases, and the Trimble XR10 will bring AR to construction work.

Microsoft has added eye-tracking to HoloLens 2 and a cool form factor change that will allow the visor to flip up. These are material quality of life improvements to the HMD and definitely show that Microsoft has learned from the first generation HoloLens.

Azure is so hot right now.

The company also announced that HoloLens 2 will work alongside Microsoft Azure's cloud platform to create Spatial Anchors. This will enable HoloLens 2 users to create AR elements that can be viewed and triggered by other devices. Support for ARKit and all sorts of other augmented reality platforms will allow HoloLens 2 users to help build the new AR world.

Developers will be able to create their own App Store for the HoloLens. Microsoft detailed three core beliefts for the open nature of their AR platform: open App Store, open web browsing, and an open platform. Firefox will be joining Microsoft's Edge as a native web browser on HoloLens 2. 

Tim Sweeney took the stage at MWC 2019 to talk about Epic Games' support for AR and HoloLens 2. "I believe that AR is going to be the primary platform of the future, for both work and for entertainment," said Sweeney. "Epic will fully support Microsoft's HoloLens strategy, now and for the long-term." 

Developers can get their hands on HoloLens 2 for $125/month or preorder the HoloLens 2 Enterprise Edition HMD for $3500. This is $1500 less than the price of the generation one HoloLens devkit.