HoloLens, DirectX 12, and actual Microsoft Studios games on PC
Earlier today, Microsoft held a Windows 10 event. My stream kept dying, but I posted about the Battletoads shirt worn by head of Xbox Phil Spencer during his segment about gaming.
Much of the event was uninteresting or irrelevant for this audience, with one huge exception: an augmented-reality headset called Project HoloLens that can display holograms all around you.
Outlets like Wired, The Verge, and Gizmodo were able to try out the device and several demos, including a basic version of Minecraft shown above. Take your pick. Then, jealousy.
It’s unlikely that the end consumer product will exactly match the ambition of this concept video but, even if Microsoft gets partway there with HoloLens, we’re one step closer to The Future as envisioned by Hollywood. One step closer to becoming Tony Stark. What a time to be alive.
Other gaming-related announcements were made during the Windows 10 event:
- Microsoft is working on an Xbox app with Xbox Live-style social functionality and Achievements. Sure, why not?
- We’ll be able to stream Xbox One games through our local network to a Windows 10 PC or tablet. “[M]any Xbox One accessories will work interchangeably on the console and PC (with more on the way),” says the company.
- Xbox One’s recording/editing/sharing Game DVR software will be a part of Windows 10 “whether [you’re] on Xbox Live, Steam, or other services.”
- Fable Legends will release on Xbox One and Windows 10 simultaneously and the game supports cross-platform play. (Remember Shadowrun 2007?) This represents “just the first of the major game franchises from Microsoft Studios coming to Windows 10.”
- DirectX 12 is a Windows 10 exclusive. My graphics card just got another wrinkle.
- Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users can upgrade to Windows 10 for free for the first year.
- And finally, Cortana — she’s here to stay as a personal assistant. Yay?
