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posted by martyb on Monday April 08 2019, @08:37PM   Printer-friendly
from the I-see-what-you-did-there? dept.

US Army shows how it will use HoloLens in the field

When Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets.

Previously: U.S. Army Awards Microsoft a $480 Million HoloLens Contract
Microsoft Announces $3,500 HoloLens 2 With Wider Field of View and Other Improvements
Microsoft Misrepresented HoloLens 2 Field of View, Faces Backlash for Military Contract


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday April 08 2019, @10:29PM (4 children)

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Monday April 08 2019, @10:29PM (#826407) Journal

    Microsoft has also doubled the mixed reality field of view, making the holographic overlay less like a floating reticle and more like a (virtual) display that's useful.

    But even the author has to admit it's more like that display that's useful........ but still isn't useful yet. (Like 99% of VR). And that's entirely aside from Engadget's horrible reporting which is making lots of assumptions in reinterpreting a press packet for us instead of... reporting - you know, that thing that we used to get that sometimes gave dry facts instead of 100% Entertainment

    it raised a question: just what would this system look like?

    No, it raised the question of why is the Government throwing away $479 million of my tax money at a half-baked system without a defined objective yet.
    Oh, Microsoft needed some money. OK.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Monday April 08 2019, @11:08PM (2 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Monday April 08 2019, @11:08PM (#826416) Journal

    The more important question is "what will it actually do when deployed?"

    I think too many people in senior positions have watched the Predator movies and thought they were seeing "real" alien technology.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @11:29PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @11:29PM (#826430)

      It is!
      The best that H1Bs can provide.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 08 2019, @11:30PM

      by c0lo (156) on Monday April 08 2019, @11:30PM (#826431) Journal

      "what will it actually do when deployed?"

      Go down in flames?
      Throw some flares on the battlefield and the scape won't look&feel anymore like the simulated absence of the 'telltale glow' of the night vision.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday April 10 2019, @03:30PM

    by Freeman (732) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday April 10 2019, @03:30PM (#827469) Journal

    First of all I bought into VR, yes somewhat lacking in content, but Fallout 4 really extended the $/hour of use. I put in over 100 hours on Fallout 4 VR and have all of the achievements, except the stupid grindy ones. There are definite limitations, and if you have to have a 4K resolution screen on a 32" TV to be satisfied with your entertainment. VR is not for you in it's current state. Now, if you have always dreamed of VR. Hoped that some day you could feel like you're in the game. VR is definitely for you. Portal 2 has a free VR DLC. It's stupendously awesome, if you like Portal. It works slightly differently, but it fits the universe. "In Your Face TD" is a Tower Defense / FPS hybrid, same vein as Dungeon Defenders, Orcs Must Die, and Sanctum. It is a really fun, free, somewhat short game (4 or 5 levels, instead of the massive number of levels of the other 3 mentioned.), but it is tons of fun. You destroy an onslaught of robots with towers and weapons that you upgrade a various stations using batteries you've earned. It's some of the most fun I've had in VR. Then, there's the VR Roller Coaster that my kiddo loves to death. I can't afford to go and / or take the time off to go to a theme park all that often. Epic Rollercoaster does that in the comfort of my own home. Sure, I get a bit bored with it after the first few runs, but my kid loves the Dinosaur one to death. It's also an easy VR game/sim to introduce people to VR with.

    Personally, I think the biggest downside to VR is after you go from Fallout 4 VR to "3D" Fallout 4/3/NV, it's just not the same. No matter how good of a "look and feel" you have on the obviously flat screen TV, it can't compare to the immersion that VR gives you. Admittedly, you have some glitches in Fallout 4 VR that don't happen with the normal version. Such as being able to reach through a door to unlock it from the other side, but arguably I should be able to do that when I'm in a set of Power Armor anyway. Unfortunately, the Power Armor never really gives you the feeling of being in a MechWarrior like Mecha, but the first time definitely made me think of that.

    --
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