Microsoft's Kudo Tsunada Tells Game Informer What HoloLens Can Do That VR Can't

Kudo Tsunada, who has just recently been promoted within the Xbox team with a new mandate to lead Microsoft Studios across the US, Europe, and other territories around the globe, has been featured in the latest issue of Game Informer. In his interview with the gaming magazine [via Game Spot], he said: "The thing that HoloLens does is allow you to blend your digital world with your real world. Bringing of those two things together unlocks all kinds of different experiences. None of that stuff is things you could do with VR. It's nothing against VR; I think VR is great tech. But it's the 'blending of the worlds' part about HoloLens that makes it unique. From a gameplay perspective, it's being able to make your real world environment an integral part of the experience. That's really different than what you would get from a VR experience."

During its January 21 "Next Chapter" consumer event, it may be recalled that Microsoft's other great big revelation, aside from Windows 10, was the upcoming Windows Holographic, an augmented reality experience that employs a headset, much like the VR goggles that are now already in the market, except that in this case, interactive holograms are added to the surrounding environment too. The HoloLens headset is described by the company as "the most advanced holographic computer the world has ever seen." It's a self-contained computer, including a CPU, a GPU, and a dedicated holographic processor. The dark visor up front contains a see-through display, there's spatial sound so you can "hear" holograms behind you, and HoloLens also integrates a set of motion and environmental sensors.

HoloLens will be made available "in the Windows 10 timeframe" and, according to CEO Satya Nadella, it will be priced "for both enterprise and consumers to use it." As a prospective Windows 10-powered device, the Hololens should also be able to run any app that a Windows 10 PC, tablet or phone will be able to that has some programmed holographic processor user interface.  Microsoft has already shown HoloLens to at least one games publisher, with Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick describing the experience as "extraordinary," according to The Verge. Moreover, Microsoft is already working with NASA to use the Hololens to drive the Mars rover Curiosity, said Gizmodo.

Tsunoda in his recent interview went on to say that he sees HoloLens as having the potential to be a game-changer when it comes to teaching and collaboration. Being able to draw holograms into the world of someone wearing a HoloLens headset is a "compelling thing for being able to teach people skills, and allowing them to collaborate in ways they couldn't do before," he added.