mixed reality

Holding it precariously so close to Google I/O, Microsoft's own BUILD developer conference may have felt a bit more subdued, somber, and serious. Its most "futuristic" technology lacked the hype and pizzazz the usually surrounds its counterparts from other companies. Microsoft's new AR push, perhaps to the disappointment of consumers, was squarely aimed at industry and enterprise customers and that is actually the perfect recipe to keep augmented reality from being passed up as a fad. Because for AR to grow, thrive, and survive, it has to be taken seriously and you can't get more serious than the enterprise market.

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Microsoft's reboot of Kinect may be giving drones smarter vision and bringing AI to edge computing, but it'll also be at the heart of the next-generation HoloLens 2. Unveiled during Build 2018 this morning, the new Project Kinect for Azure combines an updated version of Microsoft's time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor with new AI talents.

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Apple may be working on AR smart glasses, and Facebook trying to turn Oculus into a virtual chatroom, but Microsoft keeps playing it serious when it comes to mixed reality. The company has detailed its latest efforts in augmented reality and more at Build 2018, its annual developer event, and if you were hoping for more Minecraft AR you'll be sorely disappointed.

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This week we're having a peek at what Leap Motion is bringing to the table for augmented reality. We've seen them create some unbelievable pieces of technology before - especially when it comes to motion tracking and control. Now it would appear as thought they're jumping into the augmented reality universe face-first.

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Microsoft got a huge lead in the augmented reality, or mixed reality rather, market, showing off how its HoloLens and Windows Holographic, now Windows Mixed Reality, system could prove to be more practical and useful than virtual reality. It may have, however, rested far too long on its laurels and now a big competitor is just around the corner. That is, perhaps, why the tech giant is suddenly picking up the pace for version 2 of its HoloLens hardware, which might make a big departure from its predecessor.

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What is a PC? In fact, what is a computer? Some market analysts and Apple predict that the next two or three generations will start asking those questions. For years, in no small part due to the downhill trend of PC sales, analysts and journalists have been declaring the PC to be dead. The problem which such overarching declarations is that it can’t be true for all cases. And depending on who you ask, that PC market is actually even more lucrative than ever before.

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A launch of Oculus GO VR may take place at Facebook's F8 conference this year. The wireless headset runs a mobile software experience very similar to that of the Gear VR (AKA Oculus VR app on Android on a Galaxy smartphone.) The Facebook developer conference would be an ideal place for Oculus' parent company Facebook to bring this phone-less mobile VR headset to the public - and right now, it seems quite likely to happen.

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It's Pi Day, and Microsoft is marking the occasion with a selection of one-day deals including up to 31.4-percent off Windows 10 PCs and accessories. The cut - a reference, of course, to the mathematical constant and irrational number that starts with 3.14159 and then just keeps on going - covers Windows notebooks from ASUS, Lenovo, Dell, and HP.

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Google announced this week that they've been working with Light Fields for the most realistic virtual reality in the history of VR. Google is aiming to allow people to capture still images in VR that give the end user a realistic sense of presence by processing motion parallax and "extremely realistic textures and lighting." In an effort to demonstrate their work, Google released a demonstration app in Steam VR for HTC VIVE, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and Oculus Rift.

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The full launch of Google's ARCore for Android took place on February 23rd, 2018. Google suggested that while just 13 Android smartphones work with ARCore right now, more are in the pipeline. The devices Google's listed as working with advanced capabilities in augmented reality today are just part of the equation. There's a whole lot more coming, and it's coming rather soon.

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Mobile virtual reality before Qualcomm's newest line of VR hardware made for a fairly decent experience. Samsung had their VR headset that worked with Galaxy S and Note devices, and Google brought the first wave in with Cardboard, Daydream, and so on. But now it's time to get serious about processor action. Now it's time for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform.

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It seems that the dust around VR has settled down. CES 2018 was almost eerily silent about the nascent technology. Except, perhaps, for a few peeks here and there, including ASUS’ first foray into the field. The latest and so far last major PC OEM to join Microsoft’s brand of artificial reality, ASUS showed off its Windows Mixed Reality headset at CES last month. Now that device is finally available for purchase. Sadly, it’s on the pricier side, even with a design that beats out the competition.

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