Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset was one of the most promising takes on an augmented reality headset. Perhaps not from a comfort perspective so much as a usability one but it seems that potential has come to a close.
UploadVR reports that Microsoft has ended production of its HoloLens 2 headset and there won’t be a follow-up headset to replace it. The remaining stock will continue to be sold but no new products will be added to the line.
Adieu HoloLens
At least the curtain will take some time to close on this product lineup. The original HoloLens, like the one that was tested on the International Space Station, will see continued software support until 10 December this year. The second iteration, which is still on sale, will see software support cease from 31 December 2027. That’s a good few years to get some use out of Microsoft’s AR hardware. It’s also somewhat annoying if you’ve somehow found it useful up till then.
What will stick around, according to Microsoft, is the HoloLens IVAS. This is a military-spec Integrated Visual Augmentation System that might see use in battlefield conditions. Those are the terms of Microsoft’s contract with the US military. The headsets could give soldiers seriously sci-fi powers in the field, of the sort we’ve only seen in movies and games to this point.
Other than that, there’s little indication why HoloLens has to go right now. It’s possible that Microsoft is offloading research-heavy projects to focus more extensively on Copilot and its AI ambitions or it might be that the company doesn’t see much profit in attempting to mass-market AR hardware. That would leave the field open for Apple’s version of augmented reality and Meta’s upcoming Orion project, which occupy the high-end and (hopefully) affordable segments of the niche.