Like a mix between the augmented reality project we've been showing you for years and the emerging field of virtual reality, Microsoft's Hololens now lets you shoot flying robots with a handheld laser cannon—all from the comfort of your own living room. The tech giant's new toy puts a layer of computer-generated interfaces on top of your environment, generally exemplified by graphs, diagrams, and Netflix. That is, until now: the company showed off Project X-Ray at a Windows 10 device event yesterday, and the part of us that feels we were born a couple thousand years too early is drooling.
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The robot battle aesthetic echoes a concept video from Hololens' mysterious competitor, Magic Leap. The latter promises a similar experience to the one Microsoft just demoed, but little is known about the company's actual capabilities (except that Google believes in it enough to have led a $542 million investment). Regardless of the competition, Hololens seems to be delivering a seriously rad dev kit (starting at $3,000) early next year.Whether you're a Microsoft fanboy, an augmented reality enthusiast, or simply like seeing technology look like straight up magic, what a time to be alive.
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