NASA Video Shows Potential HoloLens 2 Prototype

A NASA social media post may have just released details about the next iteration of the Microsoft’s HoloLens.

After the launch and success of Magic Leap’s system, industries and consumers alike wonder what’s next for Microsoft and their HoloLens.

From the video below, you can see that although entertaining, it has some usability issues.

A Brief History of the Original HoloLens

The original HoloLens cost around $3,000-USD, coming out in 2016. You used a variety of hand gestures to manipulate the augmented reality menus. Microsoft billed it as the “world’s first holographic head-mounted display.”

It has applications for developers and commercial users. But for your average consumer, the novelty of the item wears off quickly compared to other true VR headsets.

Despite its early success, the mixed reality of the HoloLens hasn’t aged that well.

Initial reviews laud the Magic Leap mixed reality experience. As a result of the Magic Leap One’s success, the next Microsoft installment needs to be something better.

Microsoft did announce in June that it would debut the HoloLens 2 this year.

It would feature an ARM-based processor, a custom AI chip, the latest Kinect sensor, and a variant of Windows 10. Not only will it be faster, it will also have a better battery life.

So does this video really reveal the next HoloLens?

A Virtual Visit to Mars Reveals a Possible HoloLens 2

The blog “THe Ghost Howls” run by user skarredghost first noticed the possible prototype.

This video from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology displays OnSight. It’s a mixed-reality program that lets scientists walk on the surface of Mars using images from the Curiosity rover.

You see people wearing what resembles a HoloLens interacting with images in a 3D space.

Unfortunately for us, Alex Kipman clarified what the device was on Twitter. Kipman is a Microsoft Technical Fellow and the originator of the HoloLens. The device is, in fact, a prototype of the original HoloLens.

Despite the misdirection, it isn’t all bad news. Kipman teased that “the future of mixed reality is truly out of this world.” This could signal that the next HoloLens may integrate programs such as the one displayed in the NASA video.

Perhaps, though we can’t walk on Mars yet, we can soon do so from the comfort of our own planet.

Do you prefer the Magic Leap One over the original HoloLens for a mixed reality experience?