MICROSOFT has finally sent out its first shipments of the HoloLens augmented reality headgear, as the software giant looks to assert itself in what is expected to be an emerging computing platform.

HoloLens is being delivered to application developers, with Microsoft opting for augmented reality rather than virtual reality in devices such as the Facebook-acquired Oculus Rift.

The product is a huge point of difference for Microsoft and the shipment comes as the company’s annual development conference gets under way.

The Build conference kicked off in San Francisco this morning where developers got their latest look at the device and what it can do.

While virtual reality is fully immersive, the partly immersive augmented reality allows users to multitask via virtual images superimposed on their normal field of view.

During an early session at the flagship conference, Microsoft showed off some of the possibilities for HoloLens, such as giving users a view of Mars that could previously only be seen by space vehicles.

In a separate demonstration the headset was used to provide a view of the human brain by medical specialists aiming to deal with a cerebral tumour.

The holographic capabilities in the Microsoft gear can open doors for developers to augment tasks from complex surgery to motorcycle design, the company said.

Aiming to encourage new applications for the device, Microsoft noted that developers can create “new mixed reality” with holograms to enable users to see and experience things in new ways.

The developer editions will be available for just shy of $4000 for app makers and other Microsoft partners.

One of those partners is NASA, which uses HoloLens to help users move about as if they are on Mars and figure out where they want the Rover to go. Not to mention the occasional game of Space Invaders for astronauts aboard the ISS.

Pamela Davis, dean of the Case Western Reserve University medical school, led a demonstration showing how holographic images of the body and its organs, including the brain, can be used in doctor training.

Microsoft said in a statement it was “extending the Windows experience to holograms and allowing developers to begin helping build the future of holographic computing.”

Marketers predict virtual headsets will soon top wish lists for kids and young adults from the Silicon Valley to Hong Kong. But some analysts say virtual reality will be eclipsed by augmented reality within a few years.

Microsoft is certainly trying to make that become a reality.