Because the field of Augmented Reality is still very immature we find it helpful to keep our readers updated on Microsoft’s competitors in the field.
One of the most interesting but also low profile is Osterhout Design Group’s headset, which actually look like glasses someone fashion forward may wear on the street, but which hides quite a bit of tech.
Industry follower James Mackie has had an opportunity to look at the company’s latest prototype, the ODG R9, which features dual 1080P lightfield transparent glasses and a 50 degree field of vision, which due to the design of the glasses appear to cover most of the field of view of a user. Due to the large field of view offered and the good opacity of lightfield glasses VR experiences are also possible from the same glasses.
The glasses are self-contained, running Android and ODG’s custom layer on top on an ARM processor and features a large number of sensors, but it appears not the same environment-scanning sensors as the HoloLens, though it still appears to work quite well in tracking the environment for mixed reality experiences. It however lacks the ability to read hand gestures like the HoloLens, but supports a number of modular accessories.