US Edition Microsoft revealed a new wireless holographic headset the HoloLens alongside new operating system Windows 10 at an event held in Redmond, Washington on Wednesday.
Rather than take on rival companies Sony and the Facebook-owned Oculus in the field of virtual reality, Microsoft has invested in augmented reality, which overlays digital elements into a user’s physical environment.
The HoloLens headset will overlap holograms into a user’s vision of their environment, and will run the new Windows 10 independent of a tethering smartphone or computer. Users can create their own holograms within the company’s HoloStudio and 3D print the finished result.
Alex Kipman, who was one of the key developers behind the Xbox’s Kinect sensor, said the HoloLens was the “first fully untethered holographic computer".
The headset is expected to go on sale within the next few months.
Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Phone customers in the first year the software is available. The price for customers hoping to upgrade after the one year cut-off point has yet to be announced.
New features include revamped web browser Spartan - the company’s first in 19 years - which Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana will be integrated into to deliver a more personal service than ever before.
The new system will work across all Microsoft platforms, including Windows phones, desktops, laptops, tablets and Xbox One, and feature a single app store for all devices - a unified model which has served Apple well in the past.
The company gave the world its first look at Windows 10 in September last year, when it confirmed the famous Start menu had been reinstated after having been done away with in Windows 8, which was launched in 2012.
The company chose to skip using the name Windows 9 to mark a departure from the much-maligned previous system, which was much criticised for its tablet-optimised interface.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella hinted at the difficulties faced in the past in an optimistic closing statement, saying: "We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows."