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Microsoft’s Most Insane Invention in Years Is Coming Out in March

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Developers will soon get their first opportunity to create apps and games for Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality headset, which adds holographic computer images to the wearer’s physical environment.

Microsoft announced Feb. 29 that the Development Edition of its holographic eyewear will start shipping to developers on March 30. Preorders will start immediately with a price tag of $3,000.

This version of the HoloLens is aimed at software creators rather than consumers. It will give programmers the chance to experience the device so they can create a vibrant software ecosystem vital to the headset’s success.

Read more: What Impressed Me the Most About Microsoft’s HoloLens

Microsoft is giving developers a handful of apps intended to help them understand the HoloLens’ potential, including a holographic version of the Skype communications app and a world-exploring app called HoloTour. Games are in the mix too, like crime drama Fragments and platformer Young Conker, both of which turn players’ physical environments into the game space.

“It is amazing how different the play experience feels based on playing the game in your living room versus your kitchen or your bedroom,” writes Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda in a blog post. “Even starting the game from a different position in a single room creates an entirely new gameplay dynamic.”

Microsoft is shipping its futuristic headset to developers just as the first mainstream virtual reality devices are starting to arrive. The Facebook-owned Oculus VR’s Rift goggles are expected to ship at the end of March, while HTC’s Vive virtual reality eyewear is coming in April.

See Microsoft's New Flagship Store Compared to An Apple Store

An Apple store in The Arndale Centre in Manchester, England.
Apple Store The Arndale Centre store in Manchester, England.Hufton + Crow
Microsoft's new flagship store opening on Oct. 26, 2015 in New York City.
Microsoft Store Microsoft's new flagship store opening on Oct. 26, 2015 in New York.Josh Raab for TIME
Apple Store genius bar in the Fifth Ave. Apple Store in New York.Apple
Microsoft Store A help desk and checkout counter.Josh Raab for TIME
APPLE ATORE (REFIT), REGENT STREET, LONDON, UK, GENSLER, GROUND FLOOR POS AND GRAPHICS
Apple Store The Regent Street Apple Store in London.Hufton + Crow
Microsoft Store Dell computers are on sale with other laptops behind them.Josh Raab for TIME
APPLE STORE, REGENTS STREET, LONDON, W1 OXFORD STREET, UK, GENSLER
Apple Store The Regent Street Apple Store in London.Hufton + Crow
Microsoft Store The glass stairs to the second floor.Josh Raab for TIME
APPLE ATORE (REFIT), REGENT STREET, LONDON, UK, GENSLER, SOFTWARE SECTION
Apple Store The Regent Street Apple Store in London.Hufton + Crow
Microsoft Store Displays line the walls of the first and second floors.Josh Raab for TIME
Apple Store The West 14th Street Apple Store in New York. Apple
Microsoft StoreJosh Raab for TIME
Apple iPhone 6S
Apple Store An Apple store in Tokyo.Koji Sasahara—AP
Microsoft Store Headphones on sale.Josh Raab for TIME
Apple Previews Its New iWatch
Apple Store Apple Watches in the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York.Spencer Platt—Getty Images
Microsoft Store Fitbit watches.Josh Raab for TIME
Microsoft Store Surface Pro computers with the Microsoft logo that will raise and lower itself with the sun.Josh Raab for TIME
Apple Opens New Store In Chicago's Lincoln Park Neighborhood
Apple Store The Chicago Apple Store.Brian Kersey—Getty Images

Although the HoloLens experience might sound similar to virtual reality, it’s notably different. Unlike VR headsets, the HoloLens projects three-dimensional holograms onto the real world around a wearer, meaning the actual environment around a user is still visible. The HoloLens is a self-contained Windows 10 computer to be worn on the face with which wearers can interact through gestures, gaze, and voice commands.

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