Microsoft is bringing its augmented reality headset (HoloLens) to a global scale.
On Thursday, the company announced that its headset, what it calls “the world’s first self-contained holographic computer,” was available for pre-order in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It’s currently on sale in the United States and Canada.
But access to this technology won't come cheap: In Australia, the Development Edition costs A$4,369 and the Commercial Suite costs A$7,269, exclusively from the Microsoft Store. Both will be available in late November.
In Germany, France and Ireland, it will cost €3,299, in the UK, £2,719 and in New Zealand NZ$7,829, according to The Verge.
Unlike virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, HoloLens aims to add to or enhance what you see in reality.
As pointed out by those who tested the Development version of the device, it is built so as not to completely cut off the user from the outside world, even using an anti-glare visor instead of glasses and downward-facing speakers rather than headphones.
Also, unlike the Oculus Rift headset, it is a standalone computer and does not require connection to an external computer.
The headset is still primarily intended for developers rather than consumers, but Microsoft announced in August that the software powering the device will soon be able to run on Windows 10 PCs.
