To build hype for the HoloLens 2 among developers, Microsoft is borrowing a page out of Magic Leap's playbook.
Starting on March 12, Microsoft will livestream a six-part series of talk shows, dubbed The Realities Show, that will examine various aspects of the next-generation HoloLens. Similarly, Magic Leap launched a monthly series on Twitch previewing Magic Leap One in 2018.
Microsoft will stream the episodes from its San Francisco Reactor facility, which also houses one its Mixed Reality Capture Studios. The first episode will serve as a recap of Mobile World Congress, which hosted Microsoft's grand unveiling of the HoloLens 2.
The show will continue with the airing of two episodes a month for April and May. The April 2 episode will cover input methods, such as eye tracking, physics-based interactions, and near and far interactions with 3D content, while the April 26 episode will focus on the HoloLens 2 display, its field of view, and technical design considerations. Both May episodes will cover general spatial computing, with the May 6 show taking place concurrent with the first day of the Build developers conference, and the May 28 episode acting as an epilogue to Memorial Day weekend.
The Realities Show schedule will wrap up on June 14, when the program will cover the MixedRealityToolkit (MRTK) and include some hands-on footage within Unity to demonstrate the MRTK tools.
While the shows serve to whet the appetites of HoloLens fans and hype the new product, there is a risk. One episode of Magic Leap's show gave viewers a first look at developer demos and 3D content as generated through Magic Leap One. Some of the negative reactions to the demos prompted Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz to unleash a tweetstorm in defense of his company's technology. Let's assume Microsoft's marketing team took notes.
Nevertheless, if you find the wait for the release of the HoloLens 2 unbearable, check back with the Microsoft Mixed Reality Events page for the livestream links as they're made available.
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Cover image via Microsoft/YouTube
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