Gaming Not the Focus for First Version of HoloLens

Though it remains an important part of Microsoft's long-term goal for HoloLens, the first version of the augmented reality tech will not be focused on gaming. That's according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who talked about the company's vision for HoloLens in a big interview with GameSpot sister site ZDNet.

Asked where he thought the initial demand for HoloLens would be, Nadella replied, "For sure in the first version, it's going to be more about developers and enterprise scenarios."

But in the longer-term, Nadella reiterated that one of the reasons Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for Minecraft is because it has major HoloLens potential.

"I did buy Minecraft to create a new genre of gaming for mixed reality," he said. "We bought Minecraft for many reasons: because it's the number one PC app; it's the number one console app; it's the number one paid mobile app on iOS and Android. I wanted a hit game even for the new medium of mixed reality. And we will have that. Gaming will always be a scenario and there will be other entertainment broadly. But, with the V.1 of HoloLens, I want us to push a lot more of the enterprise usage."

Although Microsoft has not made any real HoloLens games to date, the company has conducted a number of experiments. We've already seen an amazing Minecraft tech demo (watch the video above), and at E3, we even got to try a special HoloLens experience based on the Halo franchise. It was stunning.

Be sure to read Zdnet's full interview for a ton more insight from Nadella.