According to an investigation, Microsoft dropped development of the HoloLens 3 over the past year to focus on other augmented reality and virtual reality projects. This information has nevertheless been refuted by Alex Kipman, who leads the project known by the code name is Calypso.
Alex Kipman says HoloLens 3 is still relevant
“ In very clear terms, Calypso has been canceled “, thus entrusted a source close to the file to the media Business Insider. This also ensures that, according to Microsoft employees who wished to remain anonymous, confusion and uncertainty reign within the division led by Alex Kipman as to the future of the HoloLens. This corroborates reports that nearly seventy people working on the development of Microsoft’s next mixed reality headset have left the company to join the ranks of Meta, which is currently busy making a reality headset. increased.
ARM sale to Nvidia scrapped, SoftBank eyes IPO
On Twitter, Alex Kipman was quick to contradict the article of Business Insider : “ Don’t believe what you read on the internet. #HoloLens is doing great and if you search the internet they also said we canceled #HoloLens2…which last I heard has shipped successfully “.
don’t believe what you read on the internet. #HoloLens is doing great and if you search said internet they also said we had canceled #HoloLens2… which last I checked we shipped with success[)-)[)-)
—Alex Kipman (@akipman) February 3, 2022
Other projects are in development
However, the American media persists and signs. In a second paper published this Monday, February 7, it does confirm that the HoloLens 3 will not see the light of day, but also revealed more about Microsoft’s roadmap in the areas of augmented reality and virtual reality.
It is now known that the Redmond firm is developing a HoloLens helmet specially dedicated to the American army. The code name for this project is Atlas, but the device will not be available for sale to civilians. Also, the company is working in collaboration with Samsung on the design of an augmented reality headset equipped with several screens and powered by a smartphone from the Japanese manufacturer, and which will therefore probably run on Android.
Finally, Microsoft would also be studying the making of a helmet on which the operating system and the data would be broadcast from the cloud directly on the device. This project would still be very premature and could never see the light of day, insisted on specifying the media.
What strategy for Microsoft?
If these different pieces of information were to be confirmed, it would completely upset what was expected of the company; we were indeed expecting a marketing of the HoloLens 3 in order to compete with the next devices from Meta, but also from Apple and probably from Google.
It also raises questions about Microsoft’s strategy for rolling out the metaverse; it is obvious that the firm is very interested in it, it has already taken a step in it with Mesh. However, the cancellation of the design of a Windows-powered mixed reality headset, which could serve as a support for him to achieve this, seems curious.