Microsoft initially began selling HoloLens 2 to enterprise customers back in late 2019, but a broader rollout has taken quite some time. Earlier this year the company began selling the headset directly to individuals, and now its expanding the scope of sales to 15 more countries. Microsoft also announced today that the promised ‘Development Edition’ of the headset, which includes $1,250 in free developer resources, is now available in the US and coming to more countries by year’s end.
HoloLens 2 is Microsoft’s enterprise-focused AR headset which the company initially launched late last year with limited availability to select partners. Over the course of 2020 the headset has become much easier to get your hands on; in June the company finally opened up direct orders, allowing anyone to buy their very own HoloLens 2, even without the express backing of a large enterprise.
Now Microsoft is expanding the regions where it will sell HoloLens 2 to 15 new countries: Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The company says South Korea will be added to the list “later this fall.”
In addition to broadening sales, Microsoft today announced that the ‘HoloLens 2 Development Edition‘ package is now available in the United States. While you could previously buy the ‘Device Only’ package for $3,500, the ‘Development Edition’ is the same price but includes $1,250 of free developer tools:
| HoloLens 2 Development Edition | Value (MSRP; in $USD) |
| HoloLens 2 device | $3,500 |
| Azure credits | $500 |
| 3-month Unity Pro license | $450 |
| 3-month Pixyz Plugin license | $300 |
| Total Development Edition Value | $4,750 |
| Total cost of Development Edition | $3,500 |
The ‘Development Edition’ is, as the name implies, made for developers who want create AR applications that run on the headset. And while you’re getting some extra value in developer tools for the same price, Microsoft’s fine print indicates that HoloLens 2 Development Edition headsets are “not permitted to be deployed with a commercially distributed solution;” meaning they can’t loaned or sold to another company as part of a business-to-business product.
Microsoft says that the HoloLens 2 Development Edition will become available in 10 additional countries by the end of the year: Canada, Germany, France, UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Italy.
In early 2021 the company says its previously promised financing option—allowing developers to buy the headset by paying in increments of $100 per month—will become available in “early 2021.”