So much buzz has surrounded virtual reality headsets after HTC Vive's and Oculus Rift's release earlier this year. The PlayStation also launched its VR head mount recently. These VR headsets come bundled with a handful of game titles and apps. But what about augmented reality? What has Microsoft been up to with the HoloLens as of late?
Back in February, Microsoft announced that it will be releasing an application called Actiongram for the HoloLens' development edition in summer 2016. The Redmond company defines it as a "holographic storytelling medium" for developers.
"Actiongram uses mixed reality capture (MRC) to blend holographic content into real world settings, allowing anybody to create emotionally compelling and humorous videos," details Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda, corporate vice president for next gen experiences, Windows and devices group. "These are videos that previously could only be created using expensive effects packages by people with extensive 3D training."
Staying true to its words, Microsoft now releases Actiongram and who better help launch it than George Takei, an American actor who is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the original version of the Star Trek television series.
In an almost two-minute clip, Takei is shown in a holographic capture session where he goofs around, running in circles with scissors, saying various lines while performing comedic gestures and laughing hysterically. With the headset mounted, Takei is then shown the holographic version of himself that was taken from the prior capture session.
The holographic characters can be scaled and placed over real-world environments — on top of another person's palm or a table or a field of grass and so on. Takei describes the Actiongram experience as "fascinating." He got to laugh back at his laughing hologram that was on top of a table and virtually sparred with a chicken that's at least three times the size of his hologram, which was wielding a replica sword.
"We talked about holograms in Star Trek and to actually be doing that in reality, today, it was a lot of fun," says Takei. "Technology and being a part of it at the cutting edge is a thrill that very few human beings get."
Actiongram's menu shows several preset characters that can be used. The list includes a dog, Abraham Lincoln, a referee, a zombie, a scary-looking pantomime performer, a UFO, a dinosaur, Nyan cat, an astronaut, a white unicorn and many more.
The release is limited to the United States and Canada. Below is Actiongram's official launch video.
