Microsoft Taking Its Time With HoloLens to Avoid Kinect Situation

If you're wondering why you haven't been able to get your hands on a HoloLens, it's because Microsoft is taking its time to make sure it's a product you'll find useful. The company wants to avoid another situation like the Kinect's when it launched on Xbox 360.

HoloLens creator Alex Kipman demonstrated the device's capabilities at a TED conference in Vancouver (via Recode). During the demo, Kipman turned the stage into a forest, the moon, and Mars--he also talked to an astronaut (who was a block away) through holographic video. However, the creator won't release a time frame on the HoloLens' release date.

"When I feel the world is ready, then we will allow normal people to buy it," Kipman said in Vancouver. "It could be as soon as we say 'yes,' and it could be as long as a 'very long time.'"

Kipman says launching the Kinect as early as they did was "not a pleasant experience." Despite it selling 10 million units in 60 days, Kipman maintains that it wasn't ready to do so, as enthusiasm around the device dropped because of the lack of software support and technology. He wants to make sure HoloLens is a device people would find useful before selling it to them.

"If a consumer bought it today, they would have 12 things to do with it," he explained. "And they would say 'Cool, I bought a $3,000 product that I can do 12 things with and now it is collecting dust.'"

Microsoft started taking applications for a $3,000 development kit last year, and you can check out how the HoloLens can be used in gaming right here.