New HoloLens in 2019

HoloLens, version 1. © Microsoft.

The leak of internal Microsoft documents has given us an idea of what new hardware the company has in store for us. A new version of its HoloLens AR headset, code-named Sydney, should hit the market in the first quarter of 2019, for developers and maybe even for the public at large. The new headset should be cheaper than the current HoloLens (though the price is as yet unknown), as well as lighter, more comfortable and with an enhanced display. It will probably use a new sensor package derived from Project Kinect for Azure, announced at last month’s Build conference, and include a second-generation Microsoft holographic processor. The leak also reveals that three new Surface products are in the works, code-named Carmel, Libra and Andromeda. Finally, the next generation of Xbox, code-named Scarlett, should launch in 2020. There is a caveat though: the leaked documents stem from Terry Myerson’s time at the head of the Windows and Devices group. Since his departure last March, it is quite possible that Microsoft’s plans have changed.

⇨ Ars Technica, “Microsoft ‘Andromeda’ this year, new HoloLens in 2019, and the next Xbox in 2020.”