Tag: microsoft augmented reality

Augmented reality headset may still be five years away for Microsoft

| September 23, 2015

The HoloLens has made it into the headlines quite regularly but may not be available for half a decade.

There are a growing number of entrants making their way into the augmented reality headset realm, but despite the increasingly large number of devices, this category remains quite small, is far from mainstream, and most will admit that the devices themselves have not quite reached the point in which the average user will be using them.

Microsoft appears to be no exception to this trend as their HoloLens now looks to be half a decade away.

The augmented reality head mounted display (HMD) called the Microsoft HoloLens is “really a five-year journey,” said Satya Nadella, the CEO of the company when speaking at the Dreamforce customer conference from Salesforce, last week. Despite the fact that HoloLens is soon to be rolled out on a very slow and gradual basis within certain specific industries. This will be the first slow step that will occur well before consumers ever see it on their own market shelves. This will give the company the opportunity to test the headset before attempting to appeal to the average consumer.

These augmented reality glasses were also supposed to head to space, but were blown up in an explosion this summer.

Microsoft - Augmented RealityStill, the HoloLens is among the products that has generated the most excitement for the company over the last while, as the demos have been quite successful until now. The headset uses AR technology to superimpose digital images over top of the view of the real world. The wearer can interact with those digital images while still being able to see what is going on around him or her.

Despite the fact that this kind of AR technology requires a considerable amount of computing power, Microsoft is determined to make it possible for the HoloLens to function without having to be paired with a computer.

At the same time, packing all that computing power – in the form of sensors, processors, and other gadgets – into what is essentially a pair of glasses (that are attractive enough that a consumer will wear them) is the primary challenge being faced. Because of this, it will require more time before these augmented reality gadgets are finished.

Augmented reality used by Microsoft to recreate out of home ads

| November 20, 2014

The AR technology is converting bus shelters into an exciting mobile gaming experience.

Microsoft has been making a number of large and important moves into mobile technology and now it has combined the experience with video games by bringing augmented reality into out of home advertising locations such as bus shelters.

The company has outfitted three bush shelters with AR experiences to promote its Sunset Overdrive video game.

The bus stops are located in London, England; San Francisco, U.S.A.; and Melbourne, Australia. These shelters have each been outfitted with special augmented reality technology that brings the viewer right into the digital environment of the video game. From a distance, these ads look as though they are traditional digital screens. However, when viewed more closely, the AR technology makes it appear as though the figures that are moving around are actually going to leap right out of the screen.

These augmented reality ads are supported by the Empowering Media agency, and Clear Channel Outdoor.

Augmented Reality - Bus ShelterThe displays were created by Grand Visual, which is a company that creates digital out of home advertising experiences. This is not the first time that the company has worked with augmented reality and has incorporated it into its advertising. It is a company that was behind a number of high profile outdoor advertising experiences using AR, motion graphics, and color recognition, such as those from Pepsi, Heineken, and Tropicana.

The Xbox One video game being marketed through this effort, Sunset Overdrive, was created by Insomniac Games and is meant to be the first installment of a franchise of shooting games that will place the player in a fast action situation in which they will battle mutant attackers. This innovative form of advertising makes it clear that Microsoft is serious about its efforts to stand out within a video gaming marketplace that is considered to be quite heavily saturated.

While it is likely that this augmented reality advertising technique will draw lots of attention for the video game, this campaign is truly interesting for the impact that it is likely to have in upcoming outdoor ad display trends.