Microsoft: HoloLens has 5.5 hours of battery life with normal use

Microsoft has announced at an event that its augmented reality headset HoloLens will have a battery life of 5.5 hours with normal use. The company also said that any application made for Windows 10 will run on the device.

The battery life of 5.5 hours can drop to about 2.5 hours when the HoloLens is heavily loaded. So said Bruce Harris, who works at Microsoft as a Technical Evangelist. A video of the event was put online by an audience, but has since been taken offline again. However, tech site WinBeta has listed the statements. Harris also said that the HoloLens can work with any application made for Windows 10, but it is of course necessary to create special 3D apps to take advantage of the augmented reality function that the glasses offer.

Harris also explained why the HoloLens offers a limited field of view. According to the Microsoft employee, the image can be compared to a 15-inch monitor that is just over half a meter away. That has to do with the complexity of producing the glass on which the holograms are projected, Harris said. increasing the field of view with a larger piece of glass would make the glasses thousands of euros more expensive.

HoloLens is due out this quarter as a developer version and will cost about $3,000. It is likely that the price expressed in euros will be comparable, although it is still unclear in which European countries HoloLens will be released.