Microsoft Discontinuing Mixed Reality HoloLens 2 Headset

[MacRumors]

Microsoft is planning to discontinue its mixed reality HoloLens 2 headsets, according to a report from UploadVR. Production on the HoloLens 2 is ending, and sales will cease when stock runs out.

Security updates will be provided until December 31, 2027, but after that point, Microsoft plans to end software support for the HoloLens 2.

Microsoft was one of the first companies to delve into mixed reality technology, and it introduced the original HoloLens in 2016, following up with the HoloLens 2 in 2019. The HoloLens headsets have always been expensive and Microsoft has targeted them to enterprise customers rather than the general public.

At the current time, Microsoft does not appear to have plans for another HoloLens headset. There were rumors of a version three back in 2022, but work was reportedly canceled due to a lack of focus and internal hardware development challenges. Microsoft has also been downsizing its mixed reality team in 2023 and 2024.

Microsoft does apparently plan to continue supporting its HoloLens IVAS, which stands for integrated visual augmentation system. It is an AR headset that Microsoft is creating for the U.S. Army, and it is set to be tested in early 2025 to determine its feasibility for full-scale production.

As Microsoft has been winding down its work on the HoloLens, it has partnered with Meta to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming and its Office apps to the Quest headsets, and it is also working on Windows 11 integration with the Quest.

Apple's Vision Pro headset has been marketed to both consumers and enterprise customers unlike the HoloLens, but it currently shares some of the same shortcomings, such as a high price tag. Apple is not yet ready to abandon mixed reality, and there is another version of the Vision Pro in the works. A second AR/VR headset could come as soon as 2025.

Article Link: Microsoft Discontinuing Mixed Reality HoloLens 2 Headset

 

[roar08]

Another MSFT hardware product gets Zuned.

 

[iLuddite]

Microsoft does apparently plan to continue supporting its HoloLens IVAS, which stands for integrated visual augmentation system. It is an AR headset that Microsoft is creating for the U.S. Army, and it is set to be tested in early 2025 to determine its feasibility for full-scale production.

Not concerning at all.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Apple's Vision Pro headset has been marketed to both consumers and enterprise customers unlike the HoloLens, but it currently shares some of the same shortcomings, such as a high price tag.

If we want to be pedantic, “enterprise” is not the same as “government” but it might as well be. Big pockets and willingness to fund exploratory use.

Sounds like MS does not see an upside to staying in the consumer market with this type of device. They tried for 7-8 years. They are moving forward with the government version but that could simply be due to a standing contract with the US Army. For all we know they would abandon that market too if not for a contract.
(Link to original article took me to a pay wall, so I don’t know the details)

 

[TakeOFF250]

It seems like Apple has found the right solution for AR. What Microsoft attempted wasn't ready, and Meta also shelved Orion because the current technology isn't working. I believe that for the next 5 to 8 years, AR will need to rely on effective passthrough like the vision pro.

 

[hieranonymous]

Another MSFT hardware product gets Zuned.

I was just thinking about this. Windows Phone, Microsoft Band … even the Xbox division only had one bona fide smash hit—the 360, which ultimately wound up in the red anyway due to all the hardware failures/recalls. Apart from Azure, their bread and butter is still Windows and Office despite decades of diversification efforts.

 

[Analog Kid]

It's a shame Microsoft let this product line languish. AVP just blew it out of the water though, there was no reason to continue.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

AVP going the same way.

 

[entropys]

I was just thinking about this. Windows Phone, Microsoft Band … even the Xbox division only had one bona fide smash hit—the 360, which ultimately wound up in the red anyway due to all the hardware failures/recalls. Apart from Azure, their bread and butter is still Windows and Office despite decades of diversification efforts.

Azure and the varieties of. S server, probably even more than windows 11, maintains MS dominance simply because of its corporate and government penetration. And tbh, deservedly so.
it is unflrtunate that the IT departments actively prevent alternative desktops like MacOs to operate in the same environment

 

[SigurTom]

This pattern is a big reason WHY Microsoft hardware never takes off, there's no confidence that development and releases will continue. I say this as a Timex, Zune, Band, and Kinect adopter, and Windows Phone avoider.

 

[hortod1]

Never heard of it

 

[subjonas]

One major and unique advantage of the HoloLens is it was designed to be used in the real (non-virtual) world--with the HoloLens, reality can be viewed clearly while virtual elements are merely supplemental. Apple's and other all "AR" products (whether headsets or sunglasses) I've seen put virtual elements front and center and put reality in the background--blurry, darkened, mostly covered up with virtual elements. At that point, it's barely any different than VR. Might as well be VR or just an HUD. Sad the HL is being discontinued, and sad there aren't more products like it.

 

[JoeG4]

Sounds like MS does not see an upside to staying in the consumer market with this type of device.

I am not sure if it's that MS doesn't see a market for these devices/tech, or MS just doesn't want to continue being involved in making hardware. Probably a little bit of both. While MS has a history of making hardware products, it's more of a "side hobby" and lately I think they're trying to get out of it entirely.

MS has never been a hardware company. Moreso, MS is not a company that sells to (or cares about) end users. (Eg, the people who use the computer/phone). MS' bread and butter is corporate management. They want to sell managed computing platforms like Windows/Office/Azure. They don't give a **** about anything else, and they haven't in a very very long time. This should be extremely evident in the way products like Windows 11 and Teams are designed.

It also is evident in the way Hololens exists. Aside from the early tech demos, Microsoft never hinted at making new cool experiences for end users. It was always about stuff like improving productivity on assembly lines and viewing engineering models and stuff like that.

The same was true about Windows Phone 7-8. I'm not sure about the earlier Windows Mobile software, but WP7 and WP8... you could join phones to the domain and have them managed just like Dell laptops in an enterprise environment. They probably spent more time designing the "sysadmin interface to lock down what the users can do with their phones" part, than they did the "play flappy bird" part LOL. And that's a big part of why it flopped so hard.

I'm not sure why the Zune failed, but I'm also not sure why the Zune ever existed in the first place. My guess is they thought the iPod would be a trojan horse product that caused people to switch over to Macs en mass. It did improve apple's MacOS marketshare a bit.

 

[Joshuaorange]

This segment will continue to fail as long as goggles are required.

 

[Rogifan]

This whole category is a dead end.

 

[DMG35]

It seems like Apple has found the right solution for AR. What Microsoft attempted wasn't ready, and Meta also shelved Orion because the current technology isn't working. I believe that for the next 5 to 8 years, AR will need to rely on effective passthrough like the vision pro.

What Apple is doing isn't ready either. The Vision Pro is a beta product with beta software on it that doesn't meet the needs of anything outside of a very heavy entertainment device. I purchased one and was never so glad to get rid of an Apple product as when I sold mine.

 

[TakeOFF250]

What Apple is doing isn't ready either. The Vision Pro is a beta product with beta software on it that doesn't meet the needs of anything outside of a very heavy entertainment device. I purchased one and was never so glad to get rid of an Apple product as when I sold mine.

I've had one since launch, and I really like it. It's definitely not for everyone, and Apple never claimed it was. It's the first version and they wanted to create an OS for AR, and that's actually the best part about the Vision Pro. The lens glare is noticeable, and the field of view could be better, but these are things that will likely be improved in the next version. Will AR be the next big thing? I don't know but Apple is on the right track if we look at hololens or Orion

 

[DMG35]

I've had one since launch, and I really like it. It's definitely not for everyone, and Apple never claimed it was. It's the first version and they wanted to create an OS for AR, and that's actually the best part about the Vision Pro. The lens glare is noticeable, and the field of view could be better, but these are things that will likely be improved in the next version. Will AR be the next big thing? I don't know but Apple is on the right track if we look at hololens or Orion

At no point in time did Apple claim the device wasn't for everyone. If anything they claimed it absolutely was a device for everyone despite the price being prohibitive.

 

[Zwhaler]

Dang, what a gigantic waste of money. At least the engineers got paid.

 

[jecowa]

It’s kind of a shame that VR/AR stuff isn’t becoming more popular. Even a lot of gamers with VR headsets think it’s a gimmick. It sounds kind of cool to be able to look around like you’re actually there, and of course, stereo video and depth perception.

 

[contacos]

First time I even hear about this product 😅

 

[svish]

Good to know about the situation. Waiting to see a cheaper version of Vision Pro

 

[Brenster]

We have a couple of HL2 headsets here at work (healthcare environment). Beyond a couple of demos to clinical staff as a means of augmenting remote working during the pandemic, they’ve gained no traction and have sat in the store room ever since.

Having used HL2 and had an in-store demo of AVP, the two are barely on the same page experience wise. Puts me in mind of the clunky Windows Mobile 6/6.5 experience vs the first iPhone (not a perfect analogy, but comparable relative experience). HL2 would have huge leaps to make just to draw parallel with AVPs spatial window management and perceived resolution.

 

[obviouslogic]

At no point in time did Apple claim the device wasn't for everyone. If anything they claimed it absolutely was a device for everyone despite the price being prohibitive.

They have never claimed it was for every one. In fact they’ve stated several times that this is a new platform and computing paradigm and they do not expect it to appeal to everyone and sell as such, especially since they didn’t even make that many. The “beta” product claim is a half truth in so much that they wanted the platform out there to see what people would do with it. This is nearly the same development path the watch took which in the end went down the path of being mostly about health functionality.

 

[MJaP]

VR usage on PC for gaming is thriving however. Just looking at Steam stats and throwing some messy back of a napkin maths at things, there are roughly just over 2% of active steam users using a VR headset in any given month, which whilst not a massive overall percentage is still 2.8 million users, not a number to be sniffed at, and doesn't count VR gamers that don't use Steam. However momentum can only be maintained and increased if developers and manufacturers continue to support and release content, something Microsoft has a track record of not doing.