HoloLens 2: Build announcements and on-demand sessions

A photo of the HoloLens 2, with a picture of Bit the Raccoon standing on the right of it, looking up at it.

There were three things we announced during Build for Mixed Reality:

  1. An expanded Mixed Reality Developer Program
  2. A new HoloLens 2 Development Edition
  3. Native integration between HoloLens 2 and the Unreal Engine 4

 

Mixed Reality Developer Program

In February, we launched HoloLens 2. Satya was on stage at MWC Barcelona, sharing our vision for how the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge can be imbued with mixed reality and artificial intelligence to move us beyond the 2D worlds of the PC and smartphone, and into mixed reality and the third wave of computing.

To help catalyse this third wave of computing, we are expanding our Mixed Reality Developer Program. Over the past year, we have engaged with more than 20,000 mixed reality developers, a number we expect to more than triple in the coming 12 months. To serve the needs of a larger audience, we are investing in more meetups, programs, events and hacks with an increased focus on serving the mixed reality dev community on a global scale.

 

HoloLens 2 Development Edition

We are also hoping to inspire the mixed reality developers of the future. To support devs on this journey, we’re excited to bring you HoloLens 2 Development Edition.

HoloLens 2 offers the most comfortable and immersive mixed reality experience available, with industry-leading solutions that deliver value in minutes- all backed by the reliability, security, and scalability of cloud and AI services from Microsoft. The HoloLens 2 Development Edition is designed to help developers build mixed reality apps and experiences, jump-starting your mixed reality plans with an offer that combines HoloLens 2 with free trials of Unity software and Azure credits for cloud services.

For more information, check out the Development Edition page.

 

Unreal Engine 4 Native HoloLens Integration

Last, but not least, we are excited to announce Unreal Engine 4’s native integration with HoloLens 2. It is now easier than ever to create really high quality 3D experiences for HoloLens 2. We are really excited about this partnership and the creativity it will unlock in mixed reality, much as it has done in gaming.

 

What next?

Interested in developing with HoloLens 2, but don’t know where to start? At Build 2019 there were some fantastic sessions that covered many areas of HoloLens 2 development, from basic introductions to the device and which tools to use, to in-depth explorations of Unity and Unreal. If you’ve already started out on your Mixed Reality journey and just want some advice, why not try the From the Trenches talk? It features a wealth of tips and tricks from other Mixed Reality developers.

 

Learn more