Microsoft announced on Monday that HoloLens Development Edition preorders will kick off today for $3,000. It’s been over a year since the company unveiled its mixed reality device, but this is the first time that developers will be able to get their hands on a device in order to begin building software.
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Alongside the preorder announcement, Microsoft has also revealed which apps and games will ship with the Development Edition. The first is one that we saw at our hands-on demo: HoloStudio. This app allows users to create 3D objects in 3D, edit them and then export them to Sketchfab or 3D print them.
This version of the device will also run Skype and HoloTour, which allows users to explore different locations as if they were actually there. Because HoloLens is completely untethered, users will be able to walk around the various locales without any restrictions (and there’s no risk of bumping into anything because your face won’t be covered).
Microsoft has also included a trio of games for developers to test out, including RoboRaid (which was called Project X-Ray when we got our hands on it late last year). The other two games are called Fragments and Young Conker.
Fragments is a crime drama in which players “investigate clues and solve crimes that are seemingly taking place in their own living rooms.” It is said to blur the line between the real world with the virtual world more so than any other experience designed for the HoloLens up to this point.
Young Conker, on the other hand, is more of a pure video game, taking inspiration from previous Conker games and delivering a 3D platform that actually interacts with the real world. The game adapts to your environment, so wherever you go with your HoloLens, you’ll be able to experience a new side of the game.
UPDATE: Here are a few videos showing off the new apps and games:
If you’re a believer in the future of virtual reality/mixed reality/augmented reality devices, this is certainly an exciting time. That said, we’re still quite a ways away from the consumer edition of the device, so don’t get your hopes up about grabbing a HoloLens of your own any time soon.
The HoloLens Development Edition begins shipping on March 30th. If you’re a developer in the U.S. or Canada and you haven’t already, you can apply to get one (or two) of your own on Microsoft’s official HoloLens website.
