The Microsoft HoloLens 2 that was made official during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019, will, unfortunately, be an industrial tool rather than a consumer product. But for those lucky enough to be using them, you’ll also be getting Mozilla’s Firefox Reality VR browser.
To date, the use of VR headsets mean that you’re isolated from the real world, the HoloLens 2 will be able to let you browse the internet while still letting you see what’s going on around you. Thanks to the headset’s default use of Augmented Reality (AR).
That said, Firefox Reality isn’t exclusive to the HoloLens 2. Mozilla is already working with Magic Leap on a version for its AR wearable, the Magic Leap One. On top of that, the VR browser is already a thing for a number of VR headsets, including the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
At core of it, the addition of a browser to an AR headset is – while novel – not a bad idea. But with the HoloLens 2 being inaccessibly expensive and only available to the industrial sector, it’s unlikely that the majority of consumers will be able to experience the concept of AR web browsing anytime soon or in the immediate future.
