Microsoft has announced that it is discontinuing production of its HoloLens 2 mixed reality glasses, which it launched in 2019. This decision signals a shift in the company’s strategy in augmented reality.
Microsoft stops production of HoloLens 2
HoloLens 2 offered significant improvements over the first model, such as wider viewing angles and improved hand tracking. However, screen quality and viewing angles lagged behind next-generation competitors. In recent years, companies like Magic Leap, Varjo, Apple and Meta have launched AR/VR blended glasses. This has diminished HoloLens 2’s strength in the market it dominates.
Microsoft announced that HoloLens 2 will now only receive security and bug fix updates until the end of 2027, with full software support ending in early 2028. Support for the first HoloLens will also end.
The discontinuation of HoloLens 2 comes amid ongoing changes in Microsoft’s mixed reality division. Longtime leader Alex Kipman left the company last year. The AR/VR division has also been facing layoffs for several years.
Reports had also claimed that HoloLens 3 was canceled due to strategic uncertainty. We can say that the HoloLens family is officially over. Microsoft’s future in augmented reality also remains uncertain.
Apple has recently entered this market with Vision Pro. Meta continues to offer affordable alternatives with models such as Quest 3S.
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