What Hololens needs.
By now, pretty much everyone following this has heard Microsoft basically level set expectations for V1 HoloLens hardware by stating that gamers aren't really the target market yet. Nor really is anyone outside of the scope scientific studies, or niche enterprises. And while I argued a while back, that given the initial limitations, that those should be the initial target markets, I still think they are leaving the market wide open to be taken over by someone else. And it is a real shame, because this is really awesome looking stuff.
Real people have used the tech, and the resounding conclusion is that this isn't vaporware and it is ready for prime time. In other words, make the unit cost enough to deliver the right product and there is no reason why it couldn't be a gaming device or even a consumer device.
I know others have said it before... but drop a faster processor in it and make the thing tethered with a 3-5M cable to get the FoV to be the bulk of the size of the glass and the thing is good enough for most V1 gaming needs and most consumer needs. Honestly, I don't know what the price is, or would be in such a configuration, but the reality is that these are things which need to be looked at anyway. If it is intended as a gaming device, tethering basically needs to be an option at some point. Hardcore gamers can game for double-digit hours straight. And those are the most likely to buy the unit, especially if it is either prohibitively expensive, or even just moderately expensive but sold more as an accessory into those markets. Getting V1 hardware which is appropriate for those models will help them tackle any challenges that arise prior to a V2 or whenever it is that they can get the price down to a more mainstream consumer level.
But even more than that... why not let me plug it into my laptop or desktop and let something like the Windows performance test from the past be used to determine the FoV based on quality of hardware available. The user is tethered to that device, but it replaces a monitor and you can take everything except the HPU out of the glasses which would boost battery life. Frankly, I think this is the best scenario. Should shave the internal costs off hardware as well allowing the price to scale down to the mainstream a lot quicker. Would also be able to either reduce weight or increase battery size within the unit.
I still don't see a problem with having versions with the guts of an entire PC baked in as current models have... just that for early versions I see no reason for it not to simply become a new interaction model capable of replacing monitors. It is a brand new concept, it wouldn't matter if it was priced right for consumers out of the gates, it would still be early adopter only for the first year anyway.
Real people have used the tech, and the resounding conclusion is that this isn't vaporware and it is ready for prime time. In other words, make the unit cost enough to deliver the right product and there is no reason why it couldn't be a gaming device or even a consumer device.
I know others have said it before... but drop a faster processor in it and make the thing tethered with a 3-5M cable to get the FoV to be the bulk of the size of the glass and the thing is good enough for most V1 gaming needs and most consumer needs. Honestly, I don't know what the price is, or would be in such a configuration, but the reality is that these are things which need to be looked at anyway. If it is intended as a gaming device, tethering basically needs to be an option at some point. Hardcore gamers can game for double-digit hours straight. And those are the most likely to buy the unit, especially if it is either prohibitively expensive, or even just moderately expensive but sold more as an accessory into those markets. Getting V1 hardware which is appropriate for those models will help them tackle any challenges that arise prior to a V2 or whenever it is that they can get the price down to a more mainstream consumer level.
But even more than that... why not let me plug it into my laptop or desktop and let something like the Windows performance test from the past be used to determine the FoV based on quality of hardware available. The user is tethered to that device, but it replaces a monitor and you can take everything except the HPU out of the glasses which would boost battery life. Frankly, I think this is the best scenario. Should shave the internal costs off hardware as well allowing the price to scale down to the mainstream a lot quicker. Would also be able to either reduce weight or increase battery size within the unit.
I still don't see a problem with having versions with the guts of an entire PC baked in as current models have... just that for early versions I see no reason for it not to simply become a new interaction model capable of replacing monitors. It is a brand new concept, it wouldn't matter if it was priced right for consumers out of the gates, it would still be early adopter only for the first year anyway.
Comments
Post a Comment