Microsoft unveiled its new HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset today and while this product has never been a bonafide gaming platform, the company is working to lay the foundations for the future. Epic Games has announced today that it’s adding support for the HoloLens platform to its Unreal Engine 4. It’s the underlying technology that powers a long list of flagship games and 3D productivity applications.
Epic’s Tim Sweeney said that HoloLens support for the Unreal Engine 4 is “up and running” and that it’s going to be available for all developers in May this year. The support would allove for “photorealistic” 3D in augmented reality apps.
Sweeny did point out that Epic doesn’t have any games to announce as yet which have support for the HoloLens or any augmented reality strategies that are aimed for consumers. That’s because the headset itself is still aimed at enterprise customers.
He did use the word “yet,” which suggests that the situation may change down the line. As it stands, though, the HoloLens 2 isn’t meant for the average consumer. The average consumer wouldn’t spend $3,500 on a mixed reality headset just for playing games after all.
Epic Games is committed to supporting the HoloLens in the “long term,” with the support including all of the company’s endeavors. So when Microsoft does make an affordable version of the headset perhaps we’ll be able to play an augmented reality version of Fortnite.
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