Update: The HoloLens has a price - at least the developer's version does. It'll still be awhile before we see the consumer version.

Starting early next year, Microsoft announced the HoloLens will ship to select devs for $3000. That's much pricier than the Oculus Rift's $350 or the HTC Vive which shipped to devs for free.

To get your hands on the kit, you'll have to be a dev in the US or Canada since these locations will be the first to receive the Development Edition.

You also have to be a Windows Insider and only two devices can be requested - though you'll still have to shell out 3K for each.

There's no word on when other countries will receive the kit just yet.

Hands on continued below...

We spent more time with HoloLens at the biggest gaming show of the year, E3 2015.

We got a glimpse at its potential in gaming with an immersive - though impractical -briefing for the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One. From the voice of Jennifer Hale to a model of a UNSC Leviathan Supercarrier and Spartan Captain Sarah Palmer, the demo helped prep Home Entertainment Editor Nick Pino for a 12-on-12 battle that, it should be noted, his team won by a landslide.

One negative to come out of the show was the knowledge that the viewer's limited field of view isn't likely to get much better anytime soon. While the hardware isn't final, said HoloLens head Kudo Tsunoda, the field of view, which feels like looking through a mobile computer monitor, won't be "hugely noticeably different either."

 

cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/WarzonePlanet-650-80.jpg 650w" alt="Halo 5 on HoloLens" data-src="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/WarzonePlanet-320-80_fa_rszd.jpg" data-srcset="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/WarzonePlanet-320-80.jpg 320w, cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/WarzonePlanet-650-80.jpg 650w" data-sizes="auto" />

 

Hands on from April's Build 2015 below...

Note: Microsoft didn't allow any technology, including cameras, inside the Build 2015 HoloLens demo room. The images below were taken of a HoloLens inside a glass case located outside the demo room.

HoloLens, Microsoft's AR viewer, feels like the future of computing.

The headgear I tried at Build 2015 is still described as "early development hardware," and it definitely felt like it. But the potential and how close HoloLens is to achieving it is remarkable.

The moment I tried on HoloLens during a "Holographic Academy" session with other journalists, I thought, "This is like having a PC on my face." It's not that fully functional yet, but that's how the headgear and what you see and can do with it make you feel.

There were no Mars missions or Minecraft-inspired games in the HoloLens session I attended. Instead, I became a developer for 90 minutes, crafting an application in Unity and adding layers of HoloLens functionality as I went. Every time a new function was added, like gesture controls and spatial sound, I got to see how it translated into the HoloLens experience. The session was intended to show how easy it is to develop for HoloLens, but it also demonstrated what users will experience once it's available.

 

cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%205-650-80.jpg 650w" alt="HoloLens" data-src="http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%205-320-80_fa_rszd.jpg" data-srcset="http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%205-320-80.jpg 320w, cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%205-650-80.jpg 650w" data-sizes="auto" />

 

How HoloLens fits

HoloLens is essentially made of two rings, a thicker one along the outside that contains all the important innards and a slimmer one on the inside that wraps around your head. The inner ring has a roller in the back to tighten and loosen it, and it slides forward and backward so you can adjust how close HoloLens is to your head. HoloLens isn't supposed to sit on your nose, but I found the rubber nose guard that comes with it inevitably fell on my nose no matter how many times I pried HoloLens forward. Thankfully, it's optional and comes off easily. HoloLens felt a lot better for me with it off.

I also had a hard time getting HoloLens to fit just right every time I put it on. I had to regularly re-tighten, re-situate, and realign the headgear. When everything was synced up and it fit nicely, the holograms were in full view and it felt right. But if it was too tight, too high up or too far forward, it hindered the experience. Standing in one spot and not moving too much created the best overall viewing experience. The adjustment issues cropped up especially when I was moving around, which is part of the fun when wearing HoloLens.

If you have short hair or it's pulled back, you might not have a much of a problem as someone with long, loose hair, like myself. It may have been my unskilled adjusting abilities, but I had a slight headache whenever I took HoloLens off, like I had been wearing a baseball cap that was two sizes too small.

 

cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%202-650-80.jpg 650w" alt="HoloLens" data-src="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%202-320-80_fa_rszd.jpg" data-srcset="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%202-320-80.jpg 320w, cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Wearables/Microsoft/HoloLens/Build%20Hands%20on/HoloLens%202-650-80.jpg 650w" data-sizes="auto" />