if you need With evidence that Apple is working on a mixed reality headset, give the HoloKit X a try. Created by Botao Amber Hu, a developer who has worked at companies including DJI, Google, and Twitter, and is now the CEO and founder of Holo Interactive, the headset relies entirely on the iPhone’s existing capabilities to create an interactive hands-free augmented reality experience. It would be a strong showcase if Apple made earphones using technology already embedded in its smartphones.
Any such headphones from Cupertino will almost certainly cost over a thousand dollars. (This is Apple, after all.) Check out Meta’s latest mixed reality headset for reference; prices start at $1,499. Headphones in Microsoft’s XR platform cost between $600 and $1,000. These high prices are why the HoloKit X exists. Hu, who has long been particularly interested in the future of computing and new media art, said he wants to “democratize” the world of mixed reality. So the HoloKit X costs $129, and you only need a recent iPhone (excluding the iPhone Mini and iPhone SE models) to power it.
iPhone on the head
The HoloKit X is a plastic headset with built-in optical lenses. There’s no technology here (other than the NFC sensor, more on that later). Just think of it as a viewer, unlike old-school View-Masters. Similar to Lenovo’s AR suits for Star Wars games or mobile virtual reality headsets like the now-discontinued Google Daydream, you’ll need to attach your iPhone to the HoloKit X.
Photo: HoloKit
Unlike VR headsets, you don’t need to stare at the screen. The iPhone is mounted on it, away from your eyes. Instead, you look through the glass with a 60-degree field of view, allowing you to see the physical world and the people around you. While using the rear camera to manage these AR experiences, the iPhone’s screen is stereoscopically mirrored to the lens, allowing you to effectively see virtual 3D objects embedded in the real world.
exactly what you can do Do HoloKit X is now limited. There are only a handful of experiences in the HoloKit app—what Hu calls “reality,” and one of them is a multiplayer duel game where you cast spells on enemies. Visuals are crisp, colorful, and incredibly sharp, and the platform supports six degrees of freedom through Apple’s ARKit framework. So you can move around virtual objects and they will remain anchored to the real world position where you placed them. You can even dodge explosions while you’re playing. The “enemy” could be another person using the HoloKit X in the shared space, or it could be a virtual character, or even a character controlled only by the iPhone.
Since it’s entirely powered by the iPhone, the HoloKit app is taking advantage of existing technology. For example, the ability to play games with other HoloKit X users doesn’t rely on cellular data or Wi-Fi, but on native network technology that supports AirDrop. This is also the power of Spectator View, which allows anyone using the iPhone and HoloKit apps to view your augmented reality experience in real-time by pointing their phone at the scene. (You can record and share to social media, or cast it to a TV via AirPlay for others to watch.) Whoops, Holo Interactive is also working on a Puppeteer mode that lets others guide your AR experience.
There are several ways to interact with augmented reality experiences. The HoloKit app uses Apple’s Vision framework technology to recognize and track your hands. I didn’t see the demo, but the idea is that you can interact with objects with your hands and the iPhone’s camera will recognize your hand movements. Nonsense, HoloKit also supports any Bluetooth device that can be connected to an iPhone, such as a PlayStation controller.
what am i did Demonstration is the ability to use the Apple Watch’s gyroscope as a motion controller, just like the Wiimote. Hu strapped the Apple Watch to my wrist (it works on Watch Series 4 and newer), installed and ran the HoloKit watch app, and purely gave me a wand so I could Feel Like I use it to fire spells. Voila, I can cast spells with a gesture or a flick of my wrist. I can even point my wand down to load up the charging bar and trigger more powerful spells. Aiding the immersion is the use of spatial audio through any Apple headset that supports it, so you can hear the spell whizzing past your right ear. The iPhone’s haptic vibrations add another layer of sensory input, but since the phone is housed in the headset, it only vibrates near your forehead, so you might not feel it right away.
You can use HoloKit X with iPhone XS, XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Max. (You’ll need to remove the case to make it fit.) You’ll get the best possible experience with an iPhone with the lidar sensor that’s been a staple of Pro models—starting with the iPhone 12 series.
