Here’s The Early App Lineup For HoloLens

We’re inching ever closer to the wide release of the Microsoft HoloLens to consumers. According to an article in IT Pro at the end of March, the device has been shipped to developers and enterprise partners as Microsoft looks to test apps and iron out any final kinks.

In the meantime, thanks to a thorough write-up by The Verge, we already have a pretty good idea of what kind of entertainment we can expect in the earliest days of the device’s release. Naturally the whole point of providing demo headsets to developers is to inspire the creation of more programs, but for now there are seven applications that are all but certain to be available. Here’s a brief look at those applications.

• HoloStudio (included) – Designed to show off the creative potential of the HoloLens, HoloStudio is essentially artistic in nature. It allows you to create 3D objects before your eyes with a combination of vocal and motion-based manipulation.

• Skype (included) – Skype will function as it always has, though instead of a live feed you’ll be viewing a hologram of whomever you contact. You can also illustrate that person or the room he or she is in.

• HoloTour (included) – Effectively a travel app, HoloTour gives you 360-degree views of places around the world.

• Fragments – Technically more augmented than virtual reality, Fragments brings a crime drama to your living room. You’ll interact with characters and objects that seem to appear in your own living space, rather than in a fictional, invented environment.

• Young Conker – Using a version of the popular Conker character (a cartoon squirrel), this is another augmented reality experience that basically creates a platformer game in your living room.

• RoboRaid – Perhaps the most ambitious game confirmed for HoloLens, RoboRaid follows the same augmented reality format, but brings an alien invasion to life in your home. Using virtual weaponry, you simply take down as many invading robot aliens as you can manage.

• Actiongram – Designed to show off the creative power and potential of the device, Actiongram is described by the article in The Verge as a storytelling app. It’s meant to help developers make videos to view through the HoloLens.

These are the apps that will be available upon the release of the HoloLens, though as was stressed by The Verge, they’re also designed primarily as a collective launching pad for developers. These experiences are real but they’re meant to lay the foundation for more, which of course makes you imagine what else may be around the corner in the device’s early days. Considering those seven apps, we can make a few guesses and determinations:

Augmented vs. Virtual Is A Big Bet

The whole phenomenon of in-home, headset-based gaming is being referred to as virtual reality, and in most cases that’s just what it is. But specifically where gaming is concerned, Microsoft appears to be making a rather large gamble on augmented reality instead. It’s a simpler approach and one that, if successful, could set the company apart from competing headsets focusing more on ambitious VR environments.

Tabletop Games Could Factor In

Given the concept of augmented reality, Microsoft could have a major opportunity to explore the actual types of games played in this environment. For instance, popular board and card games played out with virtual cards and against virtual opponents don’t require much more than your own living room for an environment.

Poker and other card games come to mind in this regard as well, particularly once you consider how sophisticated casino gaming platforms have become. At Gala Casino, players can essentially enjoy a virtual casino experience, playing games like blackjack, roulette and poker against live opponents. Some of their gaming options even provide live feeds to human dealers, which isn’t unlike what we could see with an augmented reality living room game. Basically, the foundation is there and Microsoft seems to be leaning toward a type of VR conducive to simpler games like these.

Virtual Weaponry Is An Intriguing Concept

One of the issues commonly brought up with regard to VR gaming is control. The visuals make sense, but we have trouble imagining how all the movements and actions will work. Will we need different controllers, such as guns, steering wheels, and the like, for each game? Or will a standard game control pad take away from the realness of the VR experience? HoloLens, based on the RoboRaid game, appears to be offering an alternative, in that the actual weapons you use are part of VR as well. The article referred to them as “wearable holograms,” and they could quickly set a standard for VR gaming if they work smoothly.

There’s More Here Than Gaming

Gaming is what has a lot of consumers most excited for VR headsets, but this lineup of apps makes it crystal clear that Microsoft wants a bigger piece of the pie. There are endless potential applications for VR, and we can see them on display in this lineup. In part, it’s exciting just to see the celebration of the creative capabilities of the HoloLens through things like HoloStudio and Actiongram. But there could be significant practical applications as well.

Tech Republic wrote up a list of 10 ways in which VR is revolutionizing medicine and healthcare. Most of them have to do with mental stimulation of one kind or another, such as to help someone suffering from PTSD, or to give fresh experiences to someone who’s homebound due to illness. But there are additional medical benefits that can be realized through the likes of VR Skype or even HoloTour. Giving users the ability to not just see, but interact with someone else’s environments opens new doors for medical teaching and demonstrations. And some have even suggested that a HoloTour-like experience could be done within a human body, allowing medical professionals an incredible new way to explore biology.

And that’s only one example of what can be gleaned from the early app lineup. HoloTour has massive potential for real estate professionals and travel agents; Actiongram could lead to entire films released for VR devices; Skype on VR could revolutionize not just the way we communicate but how people speak to crowds or give lectures. Simply put, there’s a lot more that can be done than the first seven apps.