Who wouldn't want to play games with the US Army? That's what Microsoft (MSFT) thought too. The tech giant has an initial $1.3b at stake in a test beginning later this month on whether its HoloLens augmented-reality goggles can be turned into an effective combat system for the US Army. No pressure.
The test will last a month from May 23 to June 17. So far, the Army and the testing office have indicated the goggles show promise but aren’t ready for combat deployment. The Integrated Visual Augmentation System would let commanders project information onto a visor in front of a soldier’s face and would include features such as night vision.
Elsewhere, Microsoft’s Xbox division is collaborating with Epic Games to put the popular free-to-play online game Fortnite up on its cloud gaming servers. Since the 5th of May, anyone in one of 26 selected countries with a Microsoft account, an internet connection, and a compatible internet device can use it to play Fortnite via the Xbox cloud servers. No other accounts or subscriptions are required.
Why it matters
From deals with the US Army through to tapping into cloud gaming, Microsoft is not resting on its laurels, especially in the face of what could be a lean year. “It’s an important step to add a Free-to-Play title to the cloud gaming catalog as we continue our cloud journey,” Xbox said in a blog post.
