Microsoft HoloLens' full technical specs are no longer a mystery, and while some rumors about the hardware were true, some surprises are in store.
The people at Windows Central loaded up AIDA64 Mobile and discovered what makes the $3,000 computer tick. The company listed the details about the headset, revealing the processor, RAM, onboard storage and more.
Worthy of mention is the co-processor that happens in the Holographic Processing Unit. Rumors say the chipset can instantly analyze the terabytes of information provided by HoloLens' sensors. The GPU/HPU is branded HoloLens Graphics and sports a dedicated memory of 114 MB.
A surprising presence is Microsoft's CPU choice, an Intel Atom x5-Z8100 running at 1.04 GHz.
The processor is a Braswell chip and, in spite of having 64-bit support, the OS itself is capped at 32-bit. Processing power is backed by the RAM memory, which is of 2 GB.
A bit of guesswork is in place as Intel discontinued the manufacturing of Atom processors for mobile devices and tablets. Insiders familiar with the technology hint that an upcoming variant of HoloLens could pack an Intel Goldmont chipset, but take this information with a consistent grain of salt.
The HoloLens headset packs a hefty 64 GB of storage, but only 54 GB remain available after installing the OS. Testers point out that the storage is large enough to accommodate multiple apps, games, videos and photos. The supported software is usually lean and occupies little space, but there are some exceptions, such as HoloTour, which weighs about 3.1 GB. For example, the Galaxy Explorer Project has 139 MB, Fragments 892 MB, RoboRaid 155 MB, Skype 50 MB, 3D Viewer 23 MB and Young Conker 433 MB.
The power source of Microsoft's headset is a 16.5 Wh battery, which fuels the device for about 2 hours.
The camera combo shows a main 2.4-megapixel and a 1.1-megapixel secondary camera.
A common sense question arises: why is HoloLens so expensive?
A big portion of the budget can be tracked to the sensors on board that are scanning the room in real time. The eye-tracking system and light engines are crafty pieces of tech as well. Last but not the least, the custom HPU means Microsoft had to make big investments into R&D.
We look forward to the day when Microsoft will manufacture HoloLens on an industrial scale, so that the price can be toned down.
In March, we reported on one way in which businesses could use HoloLens to boost sales via augmented reality. A pet project of Microsoft and Lowe delivers real-life simulation of various kitchen arrangements in select stores across Seattle.
Microsoft often deploys the idea of "mixed reality" when referring to augmented reality elements that overlay with real-world locations. Depending on the success of the pilot, Microsoft and Lowe could expand the app to help refurbish other rooms as well.
"This platform is going to truly blend your digital life with your physical life, and it is so thrilling," Microsoft notes.
Check out the video below, where members of Microsoft's team talk about the cutting edge device that HoloLens is and its unexpected possibilities.
