Microsoft discontinues Hololens 2, no successor to the AR glasses in sight
The Hololens 2 AR glasses will no longer be manufactured and software support will end in 2027. Microsoft is cooperating with Meta instead.
(Image: Microsoft)
Microsoft's Hololens 2 augmented reality glasses, which were launched more than five years ago, will soon no longer be available. This is because production has been discontinued, as Microsoft has now confirmed. However, software updates will still be available until the end of 2027. If Microsoft and retailers run out of stock, this "mixed reality headset for businesses", as the manufacturer calls Hololens 2, will no longer be available to buy.
Microsoft announced the Hololens 2 AR glasses in February 2019. Compared to its predecessor, the first Hololens, it offers a field of vision twice as large as its predecessor and improved hand tracking. In an initial test, the Hololens 2 proved to be significantly improved, but still nowhere near good enough. The finger tracking works sensationally well, but unfortunately the field of vision is still far too small.
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Microsoft is now putting an end to its own mixed or AR glasses and has ended production, as the manufacturer confirmed to UploadVR magazine. The company has already informed its partners and customers of this. Hololens 2 will continue to receive updates for critical security gaps and software problems until December 31, 2027. Microsoft's first Hololens headset from 2016 has not been produced since 2018 and software support for these AR glasses will be discontinued in December 2024.
No successor, but still military Hololens
There have been rumors about a successor over the years, but so far nothing has come of it. At the beginning of 2022, it was said that Hololens 3 was about to be discontinued. However, at the end of 2022, Microsoft confirmed that Hololens 3 was still in the works, even though Hololens inventor Alex Kipman had left his long-time employer in June 2022. At the time, it was said that Microsoft was simply waiting for the right time to be able to produce a successor with "meaningful" innovations.
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Microsoft's version of AR glasses for the military will continue to be supported. These initially proved unsuitable for the US Army because they caused nausea and dizziness in soldiers. However, further tests were successful and ensured that the military hololens got a second chance. The US Army has ordered more AR combat goggles, which are to be tested extensively at the beginning of 2025. A decision on mass production will be made at the end of next year.
Microsoft relies on meta headsets
Microsoft's move away from augmented and virtual reality in the consumer environment was already apparent last year. At the beginning of 2023, Microsoft announced that it would rely on AI instead of the metaverse, and thousands of jobs in mixed reality were cut. Support for mixed reality was removed from Windows at the end of 2023. In contrast, other companies have expanded their activities in this market. Meta has just presented its AR glasses of the future with Project Orion.
The Facebook group is now Microsoft's cooperation partner for mixed reality. Meta's Quest headsets will be able to create a virtual desktop that can be operated via headsets when working on notebooks with Windows 11, reports UploadVR. This corresponds to one of the functions of Apple's Vision Pro. All you need to do is look at a MacBook with the headset to call up a virtual external monitor.
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