Microsoft has opened pre-orders for the HoloLens development kit, which is priced at USD$3,000.
For $3,000, developers can buy the HoloLens Development Edition. This comes with the headset which, unlike the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, does not require additional hardware or a case.
Pre-orders for the USD$3000 HoloLens development kit have opened. With units then shipping to studios on March 30. Included in the “Development Edition,”, is a number of tutorial videos and other documentation. As well as three games made by Microsoft.
One of these is called Young Conker, starring the popular squirrel created by Rare. The game was developed by Asobo Studios and the hook is the in-game environment changes based on a player’s real-world setup.
“This means every person gets a unique gameplay experience, since each gamer’s real-world environment is unique”. Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda says, “It’s amazing how different the play experience feels. Based on playing the game in your living room versus your kitchen or your bedroom. Even starting the game from a different position in a single room creates an entirely new gameplay dynamic.”
The other two games are a shooter called RoboRaid and Fragments. In Fragments, players are put into an AR version of a crime drama that plays out in their living room. You play the part of an investigator attempting to solve a crime.
A range of non-gaming apps are also reportedly included with the HoloLens development kit. Including HoloStudio and an “enhanced” version of the popular messaging service Skype. Another non-gaming app included with HoloLens is HoloTour, which lets you virtually experience 360-degree panoramic displays of places like Rome and Machu Picchu.
A final release date and price for the consumer version of HoloLens has not been announced. Microsoft recently said it would not rush the headset to market, in part to avoid a Kinect-like situation.
