Gaming is on that list, and although virtual reality headsets like the Rift from Oculus have controlled that message, HoloLens has a lot to offer as well. I managed to try out two games being developed by Microsoft and here are my thoughts on both!

Ever since Microsoft shocked the tech world with their AR headwear back in January, people have been using their imaginations to come up with useful scenarios. As it turns out there, is no shortage of situations where AR could make things better.

Microsoft's HoloLens is still making some news here at E3 2015 in sunny Los Angeles. Earlier today, I had the opportunity to don yet again the augmented-reality headset for a fourth time. Yesterday, I saw HoloLens used a training tool for Halo 5. The focus for today's briefing was gaming itself.

Project X-ray

Project X-ray is one of those ambitious games that was developed to show the power of AR. The game is quite basic, but that does not distract from its wow factor.

Project X-ray works like this: Some alien enemy is in the walls of your room. Occasionally, they break a hole in the wall so that they can enter your space and, well, attack you. One baddie was a scorpion like creature; another was a floating evil-doer who reminded me of the enemies in the classic 3D game Descent (1994). As these creatures floated in the air or scurried across your walls, they would fire at you. Getting hit would mean you take damage.

In response, you as the player have two options: fire back and slow down time/x-ray the room. Both of these actions are controlled with an Xbox One wireless controller so that your gaze through the HoloLens is your targeting reticle but your fingers to the work. It feels very much like a traditional first-person shooter, except for the part about floating 3D holograms in your bedroom.

Speaking of x-rays, the reasons the game is called that is because you can x-ray your room. This weapon tells HoloLens to create a wireframe of the walls in your space, and you can see those bad guy scorpions through the wall for a short duration (they also slow down like bullet-time). Firing your railgun takes them out and puts a hole in your domicile. Mind you, this is all done on the fly since the HoloLens already creates the wireframe for spatial reasons. The game is merely revealing this to you in real-time.

There is also a helpful AI in the form of a robot who guides you through the process, giving you hints for success. He kind of looks like a cross between GLaDOS and the Ghosts in Destiny.

Finally, the sound, as always, was great. HoloLens has two speakers placed above the ears, and the spatial machinery works extremely well. In the game, you can hear in the room when an enemy was coming, much like how surround-sound speakers work for movie theaters. It's tight.

The Experience

One thing I can say about HoloLens: it is very finicky as to positioning. If it is off slightly, your experience will be less enjoyable. If fitted just right though, it is a great. This time, my exposure to HoloLens was the latter: it worked and felt seamless. In fact, this was the most fun I had with HoloLens since January.

Now, I cannot be 100% certain if anything was vastly different with the hardware (which is still being tweaked) or it was just lined up right. All I know was playing Project X-ray is fantastic. Granted, due to the game's simplicity, I am not sure you would get _hour_s of enjoyment out of it. However, as a demonstration of how holograms and the real-world can create a sensational gaming experience it totally works.

This finding brings me back to my point about fitting the HoloLens. Due to time and the newness of the technology, figuring out how it should fit on your head the first time is not at all obvious. It's one of those things I could probably tinker with for 10 minutes to get it 'just right'. It reminds me of getting fitted for snow skis – it takes precision.

This critique may be trivial in the long run: once you fit your HoloLens, you don't need to change anything except the tightness. And just like a catcher donning his catcher's mask, you become an expert on putting it on and adjusting it on the fly. On the other hand, for people in the media, if they do not get the right fit, their experience will be poor.

It is true that the field-of-vision is still a direct line of sight. However, I did not find it distracting or an issue in Project X-ray, perhaps owning to the right fit this time around of the hardware.

I should note, I also had one of the highest scores amongst the media, ahem.