During E3 2015, Microsoft hid a secret within their E3 booth. Tucked away were two massive hanger replicas each showcasing Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer videos. Each held lines of E3 attendees patiently awaiting for the hanger doors to be opened in order to be led deeper within. As I patiently waited on line to enter one of said hangars, I wondered if I was going to play the newly revealed multiplayer mode Warzone. While playing the new Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer was tempting, I was hoping that somehow Microsoft had something else up their sleeve.
As I kept wondering what could be in store, someone came up the line and asked each person to place their eyes into a special device to measure the distance between you eyes. Once that happened, everyone in line instinctively thought that they were preparing to have a hands-on experience with Microsoft’s HoloLens. Personally, it was something I was eagerly awaiting to try. Ever since watching the HoloLens announcement earlier this year and then again during the Xbox E3 Press Conference where a Minecraft Demo was a definite highlight. Holograms are a reality now and I was going to get my chance to try it out. I was beside myself.
A few minutes later, the doors opened and we were finally allowed inside. Each player was fitted with a HoloLens and then asked to confirm that they were able to see four floating dots on the wall ahead of them. Once you were configured you were free to walk down the hall and follow the floating waypoint. Yes, I said follow the floating waypoint. It was surreal. As a huge Halo fan, I couldn’t believe I was walking towards a waypoint. With every step, I watched in awe as the counter decremented and finally told me to make a right. Once I turned, I saw another waypoint directing me to towards a wall which opened up a window letting me peek into a Pelican Hangar. Once the window closed, I was directed towards the briefing room where we learned the basics of Warzone.
Just in case you needed some sort visual explanation as to what I experienced, below I have included the E3 video from the Xbox Daily.