Nadella: Microsoft HoloLens Will Start Shipping Soon

Microsoft could start to ship its virtual reality HoloLens device, codenamed ‘V1’, to developers within the next 12 months, according to company CEO Satya Nadella.

“[HoloLens] is in the Windows 10 timeframe which means that it is within the next year,” Nadella told BBC Click.

Coming soon?

So far, the company has been unwilling to confirm an official release date for HoloLens, aside from a general statement that it will be released “for the Windows 10 era”.

In his interview, Nadella revealed that the company was working on “developer versions of [HoloLens] first and then more commercial use cases”

He also said that HoloLens itself has been “a five year journey” journey for the company, and hinted at future generations of the headset within the next few years.

First revealed in January alongside Windows 10 as part of Microsoft’s new suite of products, HoloLens is set to be one of the company’s most ambitious projects yet.

Having already secured backing from the likes of SpaceX and NASA, Microsoft is looking to continue to spur on development using the headset by offering some lucky developers a $100,000 (£64,000) grant to work on projects that show off HoloLens’ power.

Concept videos have already shown HoloLens being used for design, manufacturing, and instant messaging, showing the sheer range of possible functions Microsoft hopes the device will have.

The device will feature a built-in battery, as well as new holographic processing unit which helps process the mountains of data being create every second, as well as hugely powerful audio and video components to provide a smooth experience.

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