head-mounted displays
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What happens if Magic Leap shuts down?
Since first uploading a YouTube teaser video of its tech five years ago, Magic Leap’s presence in the augmented reality industry has been controversial.
Some have lauded the team’s ambitions, while others I’ve talked to say the company’s posturing has dissuaded investors from taking chances on other AR hardware startups, which has hampered the industry’s advance.
Regardless of its impact, Magic Leap carries outsized weight, leading one to question what would happen to other AR companies if the company’s situation worsened.
The company announced layoffs today, with reports indicating that it is dismissing around 1,000 employees — about half of the company. Magic Leap’s added news of a major pivot to enterprise makes it seem like that wasn’t its primary strategy over the past year. From my perspective, the company looks like it is on a path to a fire sale and will be dependent on executing a dramatic turnaround, which grows tougher under current economic conditions.
Magic Leap has few users, so a theoretical shutdown would likely have a lesser impact than other unicorn flare-outs; still, losing a company on the forefront of a technology lauded by many as the next ubiquitous platform will certainly impact others that are striving to bring this tech to market.
The impact for startups moving forward would be nuanced. Without a substantial software suite of its own, Magic Leap relied heavily on developer partnerships, though in recent months many of those seemed to promote enterprise use cases. AR/VR startups are already in a rough position, and one less developer platform could force more companies to de-prioritize headset-based platforms and shift their focus to mobile.
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Microsoft announces the $3,500 HoloLens 2 Development Edition
As part of its rather odd Thursday afternoon pre-Build news dump, Microsoft today announced the HoloLens 2 Development Edition. The company announced the much-improved HoloLens 2 at MWC Barcelona earlier this year, but it’s not shipping to developers yet. Currently, the best release date we have is “later this year.” The Development Edition will launch alongside the regular HoloLens 2.
The Development Edition, which will retail for $3,500 to own outright or on a $99 per month installment plan, doesn’t feature any special hardware. Instead, it comes with $500 in Azure credits and three-month trials of Unity Pro and the Unity PiXYZ plugin for bringing engineering renderings into Unity.
To get the Development Edition, potential buyers have to join the Microsoft Mixed Reality Developer Program and those who already pre-ordered the standard edition will be able to change their order later this year.
As far as HoloLens news goes, that’s all a bit underwhelming. Anybody can get free Azure credits, after all (though usually only $200) and free trials of Unity Pro are also readily available (though typically limited to 30 days).
Oddly, the regular HoloLens 2 was also supposed to cost $3,500. It’s unclear if the regular edition will now be somewhat cheaper, cost the same but come without the credits or really why Microsoft is doing this at all. Turning this into a special “Development Edition” feels more like a marketing gimmick than anything else, as well as an attempt to bring some of the futuristic glamour of the HoloLens visor to today’s announcements.
The folks at Unity are clearly excited, though. “Pairing HoloLens 2 with Unity’s real-time 3D development platform enables businesses to accelerate innovation, create immersive experiences, and engage with industrial customers in more interactive ways,” says Tim McDonough, GM of Industrial at Unity, in today’s announcement. “The addition of Unity Pro and PiXYZ Plugin to HoloLens 2 Development Edition gives businesses the immediate ability to create real-time 2D, 3D, VR, and AR interactive experiences while allowing for the importing and preparation of design data to create real-time experiences.”
Microsoft also today noted that Unreal Engine 4 support for HoloLens 2 will become available by the end of May. 
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Watch how Portal would work in the real world thanks to Microsoft HoloLens
Valve’s Portal series is one of the more beloved in PC gaming, thanks to its debut of unique puzzle mechanics to inject some fresh life in the tired first-person action genre. The game looks even more interesting when you’re using its unique mechanics overlaid on the real world, with virtual objects interacting seamlessly with concrete things like tables, walls and floors.… Read More
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HTC’s Vive VR headset gets unplugged via $220 wireless add-on
HTC’s PC-powered VR rig is set to get one of the plusses of cheaper mobile virtual reality systems early next year, after the company announced a wireless add-on that will let users untether the headset from the gaming PC required to power it. Xiaomi beefs up its mobile virtual reality push with Mi VR
Xiaomi has added another mobile VR headset to its portfolio: announcing the Mi VR today — which it says is its first virtual reality headset with an inertial motion controller. Facebook shows commitment to video with new 360 video stabilization
With new 360 video cameras hitting the shelves — alongside matching headsets — in time for the holiday season, millions of new users will be looking to consume VR content. Facebook recognizes that one of the biggest impediments to the enjoyment of 360 video is excess motion.
The company released a demo today of its new 360 video stabilization technology. The new technology… Read More
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Yet another red quarter for HTC as revenue drops 44% year-on-year
The latest HTC results, for its Q2, confirm another loss-making quarter for the smartphone and VR headset maker, with the Taiwanese company reporting revenue of NT$18.9 billion ($598 million) for the quarter versus the NT$33.0 billion ($1.07 billion) it made in the year ago quarter. That’s a drop of around 44 percent. Read More
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Oculus launch-exclusive Adr1ft nows lets you get lost in space on HTC Vive
I’m going to put this right up front: Adr1ft isn’t for the weak of stomach. The virtual reality free-floating space survival sim left me a tad queasy, and I’m somewhere in the middle of the VR sickness sensitive spectrum. But for those looking to boldly barf where only Oculus Rift owners have barfed before, Adr1ft is launching on HTC Vive today. Even if you might feel a… Read More
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Android N gets a low-latency VR mode
We don’t know if Google will launch its own virtual reality headset at its I/O developer conference this year, but Android N, the next version of the company’s mobile operating system, will feature a special mode for VR apps. VR porn is coming to hotels on the Las Vegas strip
Sin City is about to get a bit more sinful, as VR content platform VR Bangers and headset maker AuraVisor are teaming up to offer in-room adult experiences (via virtual reality) at hotels on the strip in Las Vegas. What makes this partnership particularly interesting is that users who purchase the in-room AuraVisor will be viewing content that was filmed in a hotel room that looks similar to… Read More
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