PC World (2019-04)

APRIL 2019 PCWorld 23

It’s not really anything like the
augmented reality (AR) apps
on your phone, either. But it’s
definitely a bridge to
something better in the
not-so-distant future.
That potential is what
made my time with HoloLens
so frustrating. While I can
recognize that HoloLens 2
is obviously more
technologically advanced
than the Ikea Place AR
shopping app on my phone,
it doesn’t necessarily deliver a better
experience than dropping virtual chairs
in my living room.

BETTER AUGMENTED
REALITY EXPERIENCES
With a Galaxy S9 and a Gear VR (go.pcworld.
com/grvr), or Google’s cartoon fox-driven
walking directions in Maps (go.pcworld.
com/foxx), the experience is simple but
delightful. That’s not the case with HoloLens
2’s complex algorithms and high-minded
spatial awareness.
The ghostly holograms generated by
HoloLens floated in the space in front of my
eyes, rather than hanging on the walls or
resting on the ground. They could do those
things—the construction project I viewed
rested on a circular table built specifically for
the demo—but Microsoft has purposefully

engineered HoloLens to be more practical

than magical. The menus and buttons dutifully

responded to my touches, but they didn’t

really look like they were in the room. Even

the hummingbird wasn’t all that convincing.

Bottom line: HoloLens 2 felt more like the

bleak future of a Blade Runner movie than the

whimsical hoverboarding of Back to the

Future Part II (go.pcworld.com/b2f2), and it

didn’t compare at all to the surprise and

delight I felt when I first tried full VR.

HOLOLENS 2: BUILT FOR

BUSINESS

I understand that I’m not the target audience

for the $3,500 HoloLens 2 headset.

Microsoft actually bumped me twice on the

demo line to prioritize suit-clad important

people. And instead of shooting aliens, I was

The HoloLens 2 fits well even over a pair of prescription eyeglasses.