Hands on: Microsoft HoloLens
Hands on: Microsoft
HoloLens
We played architect
with Microsoft's staggeringly surreal HoloLens prototype
Fewer than five
months ago, we had the rare privilege to be among the first ever to try
Microsoft’s HoloLens. Digital Trends’ editor-in-chief Jeremy Kaplan came away
from the experience with his jaw on the floor, but there was a big fat caveat;
what he used was not the sleek device Microsoft demonstrated. It was wired, it
was big, and oddly placed fans blew hot air across his chin. The device seemed
nowhere near ready.
It was no surprise
to see HoloLens mentioned again at BUILD 2015. But what is surprising is how
far Microsoft has come in just a few months, and how important the technology
has become to its future. The janky prototype is gone, replaced by a fully
functional and surprisingly intuitive headset that looks and works as seen in
the company’s elaborate demos.
I must admit I was
skeptical of the device back in January, and thought it might be a far-fetched
prototype trotted out to grab eyeballs. Now that I’ve used HoloLens myself, my
doubts have been quelled.
Right this way
Microsoft let
hundreds of people, both press and developers, use HoloLens at BUILD 2015, but
that doesn’t mean the company has let its guard down. The carefully
orchestrated demo took place in a hotel beside the main convention hall on
floors rented out entirely by Microsoft. I, along with a pod of seven other
journalists, was never left alone for the duration.
After being escorted to the proper floor in an elevator operated by Microsoft
staff, we were asked to leave our bags and all electronics, including cell
phones, in a locker. Like Jeremy five months before me, I had to make do with
pen and paper. Smiling Microsoft PR flacks let us down a hall, past a few
sturdy fellows in black semi-formal attire that looked ready to take down any
runners or nab any hidden cameras.
Like the first
prototype, the latest model requires an inter-pupil distance measurement before
use. I was promised this shouldn’t be necessary with the final incarnation. I
was also carefully instructed on how to handle the HoloLens; they’re apparently
still a bit fragile, and while over 100 were brought to BUILD 2015, the company
had no shortage of interested people to hustle through its tightly controlled
experience.
In the flesh
And then it was
time. I was lead to private room, where two Microsoft employees were waiting.
One asked me to sit down on a bench and, with carefully practiced haste, helped
me place the device on my head.
Let me be clear;
HoloLens is exactly
what you’ve seen in keynotes and previous demos. Its appearance is like a giant
plastic hairband crossed with a pair of equally oversized sunglasses, but the
sum of those two decidedly dorky parts is cooler than it sounds. That may be
because, unlike Google Glass and other augmented reality devices seen before,
HoloLens doesn’t try to pass itself off as something it’s not. Microsoft hasn’t
shown a demo of it used outside a work or home environment
for good reason. It isn’t meant for the street.
Matt Smith/Digital
Trends
It is wireless,
though, and fit with surprisingly little adjustment. A knob on the back rotated
to loosen or tighten the strap like in a bike helmet, and some jostling was
required to place the holographic field of view in line with my eyes. That took
no more than fifteen seconds, assisted by a calibration image Microsoft calls
the “fitbox.” I fiddled with the knob until HoloLens was firmly in place, and
that was it. I was fitted for holograms.
Ten minutes as an
architect
Microsoft had at
least two different demos at BUILD 2015, but only one was shown to each
attendee. For mine, I had the chance to play out a childhood fantasy: I became
an architect. With a few clicks, my HoloLens shepherds activated my device,
overlaying a 3D architectural model from a computer beside me onto a real,
physical model in the room. The effect was indistinguishable from magic. One
moment, I saw an empty plaza. The next, a building filled the space.
I’ve never used anything
like it before, and neither have you.
Using a program
called Sketchup, I manipulated the building like a wizard, stretching it,
shrinking it, turning what was a tiny shop corner into a towering skyscraper
with a swipe of the mouse. As in earlier demos, the mouse didn’t just live on
the monitor of the computer running the demo, but could seamlessly transition
into holographic space. And I do mean seamless. One moment the cursor was on
the monitor, the next it was a hologram, positioned exactly where the monitor
ended.
While impressive,
this portion of the demo was simple, at least in terms of graphics. The
building was only a collection of white blocks. Perhaps anticipating this
disappointment, my assistants asked me to click on a tiny person projected into
the physical model’s parking lot – and suddenly I was there, gazing up at my
creation from ground level. While the imagined masterpiece was a 3D model with
rather basic textures, its surroundings were taken from street-level
photographic data, which made the experience utterly convincing.
And there was more.
Having seen the big picture, it was time to become more intimate with the
details architecture. This involved a superpower; X-ray vision. In a room lined
with brick walls I was given the power to see through them, identifying
load-bearing supports and important plumbing. To my dismay, it turned out a
proposed doorway went right through an important support, and the purposed
work-around cut through important plumbing. Defeated, I “tapped” the
troublesome area with an out-stretched index finger and left an audio note for
an imagined foreman.
Incredible, but with
limitations
Am I gushing? You
would be too. But skeptical readers don’t need to worry; I’m not just going to
rubber-stamp HoloLens and call it a day. There are still one or two small
problems.
The biggest
disappointment is the field of view. What’s not obvious in Microsoft’s demos is
that holograms only appear in a box directly before you. Its size is difficult
to describe, but it seemed to consume about two-thirds my field of view. The
transition between what can and can’t be seen is absolute, with no fading or
blending, and jarring as a result. Some of the company’s on-stage demos have
left the impression you can see objects in your periphery, but in its current
form, that’s not the case.
I also can’t agree with the claim that HoloLens boasts a “comfortable fit.” Oh,
sure, it could be worse, but it could be a lot better. The problem seems to be
related to how holograms only appear properly when the lenses are placed at a
very particular location. Too high or too low, and they disappear or cut off.
The glasses never actually rest on the user’s nose as a result, so all that’s
keeping it on is the pressure of the headband – and that means it has to be
pretty tight.
Of these problems,
the first is more worrying than the second. An uncomfortable fit can be worked
on, and given how far Microsoft has come since January, the company deserves
kudos. HoloLens no longer looks like a mad scientist’s torture device. The
field of view could be a big problem, though, especially for home users, and
the company’s representatives were unable to clarify how the issue might be
improved in the future.
Holograms — to
somewhere near you, sometime
My look at the
improved prototype made clear that Microsoft is serious about the project, is
making great strides, and it won’t be released anytime soon.
The official
projection is “Windows 10 timetable,” which means sometime before whatever
comes after
Windows 10 is released. Microsoft usually needs two to three years between iterations,
so don’t expect to see HoloLens on store shelves this holiday season. Maybe next winter, if we’re
lucky.
There’s a lot to
improve. While holograms are reasonably sharp, I’d guess the resolution around
720p, and image quality is about on par with a cheap LCD monitor. It could also
stand to be lighter, more ergonomic, and the field of view needs to be larger.
Even so, Microsoft
is obviously proud of what it has built, and has every right to be. I’ve never
used anything like it before, and neither have you. Even as a concept, it has
no peer. Virtual-reality headsets like Oculus Rift can’t do augmented reality
like this, and don’t have equal support for wireless use or navigation. Wearables
like Google Glass, on the other hand, are far less powerful, and their
capability suffers as a result.
Microsoft says this
is just the beginning. There will be more demos, for more people, at more
places. I certainly hope that’s true, because while I’ve done my best to
describe the experience, words will never be adequate. Photos and video also
fail, despite the clever cameras shown at demos. You can’t really understand
until it’s you who, with a click of a button, has suddenly teleported to a
location halfway across the country. Once you do, you’ll understand why
HoloLens could be the future of computers.
Highs
- Absolutely immersive
- Surprisingly easy to use
- Wireless
- Looks cool, in a geeky way
Lows
- Tight fit
- Limited field of view
- Image quality still needs some work
http://www.digitaltrends.com/vr-headset-reviews/microsoft-hololens-hands-on/
Comments
Post a Comment