While virtual reality (VR) is getting a lot of buzz lately, Microsoft’s HoloLens with its Augmented Reality (AR) approach is still one of the coolest piece of tech around, and arguably the one with real practical applications, which Microsoft has seized upon with plenty of demonstrations and marketing materials.
Of course, like any new platform, HoloLens will need apps, and that’s where series like this from Channel 9 comes in, providing all the directions and instructions needed for enthusiastic developers to tackle the new computing paradigm. Not incidentally, the timing is just right for Alex Kipman’s announcement of the release of the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition, set for March 30th.
The post lists out the various resources available to a prospective HoloLens developer. These includes the Windows Holographic Dev Center, which include documentation for HoloLens’ development in Visual Studio and Unity, and will be updated as HoloLens’ release date draws near. Accompanying it is a HoloLens App Development forum to spark discussions and answer questions.
The best and most accessible knowledge source listed, however, has to be a series of 12 development video tutorials from the HoloLens Team. These covers a wide range of topics specific to Microsoft’s new medium, from gaze input, to spatial sound and mapping, to making comfortable holograms, and even a HoloLens emulator. You can start the playlist with the overview video below.
As most-likely well-known, HoloLens will run Universal Windows Platform apps, meaning you will be able to make apps for it even without one in your hands. As many can attest to, however, the experience of using HoloLens is almost magical – should be more so when it’s your app on display – and if you can handle the current $3000 entry price for a dev kit, there’s still time left.
