Asus reportedly planning to build own version of Microsoft's HoloLens

PanARMENIAN.Net - Asus, the world's sixth-biggest PC maker, is talking with Microsoft about building its own version of HoloLens, Jonney Shih, Asus' chairman, and Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of Windows and devices, told CNET.

Asus' interest in becoming the first outside company to build a version of Microsoft's device could give a boost to augmented reality, which projects 3D images in front of your eyes and overlays them on real-world environments. No version of HoloLens is on the market yet. Microsoft is expected to release a version for software developers for $3,000 in early 2016. That move is designed to spur developers to create HoloLens apps that will appeal to consumers.

Taiwan-based Asus, known for building affordable PCs, could eventually create a less expensive version of the glasses that may end up in your home. For Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, the hope is that many companies will adopt the technology, which was introduced in January and runs Windows 10.

"Everything we're doing in hardware, we do with the mind of how we grow the Windows ecosystem," Myerson said. "That is why we're investing to create a category."

It's ultimately up to Shih whether Asus makes its own version of HoloLens, Myerson added. Shih said he's "still evaluating" what form any potential Asus augmented-reality glasses will take.