FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

Here's What Wearing HoloLens Actually Looks Like

A Microsoft promotional video that's honest about augmented reality's field-of-view problem.

Microsoft's videos for its augmented reality headset HoloLens make it look incredibly cool, but they're not entirely honest. A recently released video highlighting how Western Reserve University is using HoloLens to teach anatomy still has a touch of bullshit, but it also offers the first glimpse at what wearing the device actually looks like.

Usually, these videos show designers spinning 3D models for motorcycles with their fingers, huge media players that follow you around as you walk around the house, or a version of Minecraft you can play on your desk like the coolest Lego ever. The computer generated images are seamlessly inserted into reality, and even when Microsoft has given live HoloLens presentations, it used a custom camera rig that essentially overlays the HoloLens display on the lens, simulating what the user would see.

The problem is that the videos and custom camera rigs are showing you a much better experience than the one HoloLens can actually deliver. HoloLens, like all other augmented reality devices currently out there, has a limited field of view (FOV). When you look through the HoloLens glass, the computer generated images are projected on only a small square in front of you, so you can clearly see the line between reality and augmented reality.

The video above has plenty of impossible shots that show the virtual and the real sharing the same space as if it was no problem, but they also include some first-person point of view shots that show the limitations of the projection.

It's still pretty cool, as augmented reality can be when it's at its best, and it's probably better for Microsoft to show what it can really do than over-promise and ultimately disappoint users when HoloLens launches.