Feel like hanging out with a giant orc? You might get a chance, as Legendary Entertainment is partnering up with Microsoft to create new experiences using the latter's to-be-released HoloLens augmented reality headset. One of the goals is to bring movie characters to lifeallowing HoloLens users to plop their favorite baddies and heros on their desks or in their kitchens, rather than simply interacting with these characters in a larger, made-up, virtual world.

"Microsoft HoloLens lets us bring characters from the worlds we create into the real world. Our fans get to interact and have fun with our characters in a completely new way, giving them a unique experience they can share with their friends through video and social media. This is exciting for us, and for the creators we work with," said Emily Castel, Legendary's chief marketing officer, in a statement.

That probably means little to you, though, as there's still no launch date (nor launch price) for a consumer-grade version of the HoloLens. There's also no tease as to what this partnership might ultimately create, like some kind of app that allows you to interact with characters from Legendary movies, for example. These first steps are still exciting from a technical aspect, at least.

"With HoloLens, creators now have more than one way to make holograms, whether characters are played by actors or are CG-based. To capture actors and real objects as holograms, we use a holographic video capture studio. We record the actors using dozens of synchronized RGB and infrared cameras on a calibrated green-screen stage. We are able to capture the motion, shape, and appearance of the performer, producing something like video but viewable from any angle, at any moment of recording. Life-sized holograms of CG-created characters can also be made using 3D data," reads Microsoft's blog post.

You can always plunk down $3,000 for a developer version of the HoloLens (or up to five total) if you simply must have an augmented reality version of Orgrim Doomhammer on your desk. Otherwise, you'll just have to appreciate the experience of him grunting and cracking his knuckles at othersfor now.

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