Microsoft is winding down production of HoloLens 2 mixed reality headsets and seems to have no plans to release a successor.
Support for HoloLens 2, including security updates, will continue until December 31, 2027, while support for the original HoloLens will end on December 10.
«We will continue to invest in mixed reality capabilities. In addition, we remain fully committed to the IVAS program
Microsoft first introduced the HoloLens headset in 2015, predicting that augmented reality glasses would become the basis for the future of virtual worlds. As well as Apple VisionPro HoloLens costs a whopping $3500. The headset runs under the control of special versions of Windows 10 Holographic, based on the Snapdragon 850 processor.
In 2019, Microsoft released the second generation of HoloLens headsets — with an improved field of view (which in the first version was the main source of user complaints) and ergonomics; the company also significantly improved the performance of the holographic processor for better image stability, new hardware features, etc.
Problems with the HoloLens team at Microsoft began in the last two years — in 2022, the head of the department, Alex Kipman left the company after allegations of inappropriate behavior, and in January 2023, Microsoft partially cut the unit itself amid large-scale layoffs in the company
Microsoft has now teamed up with Anduril Industries, a military-technology company from Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey, to improve the IVAS mixed reality headset, which used in the US Army.
The headsets themselves are based on HoloLens technology (but additionally include built-in thermal vision sensors and night vision sensors on the display) and were first tested in 2021. Earlier, the US Army said it plans to spend up to $21.9 billion on a 10-year contract for the IVAS project.