Controversy around HoloLens 2 Field of View continues

Usually, when Microsoft is being imprecise it is because they have something to hide.  One issue which may Mixed Reality watchers have been waiting for has been exactly how improved the field of view of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 is, given that this was one of the main issues with the HoloLens 1.

Microsoft has been clear that it was 52 degrees, but not what this exactly meant. On Twitter, Alex Kipman finally confirmed it was 52 degrees diagonal, which allowed uploadVR to do some sums.

No secrets… see https://t.co/stj7EVD13F – The first HoloLens had a 34-degree diagonal FOV; the new headset’s field of view … 52-degree diagonal field of view. More than 2x is area and most of the growth is vertical (no longer 16:9)

— Alex Kipman (@akipman) February 25, 2019

Given that Microsoft said the HoloLens 2 FoV has a 3:2 “screen” ratio, some basic maths showed the device had a horizontal FoV of 43° and a vertical of 29°.

Crucially this is much improved on the HoloLens 2, but only has 4% more surface area as the Magic Leap 1, which is of course more than $1000 cheaper.

Of course, Microsoft could justify the increased price in many ways, but I suspect we expected a bit more from 4 years of development.

Given that the real “HoloLens 2” was cancelled due to insufficient improvement 2 years ago, do our readers think Microsoft has done enough this time around? Let us know below.