ASUS Consider To Build Its Own HoloLens Augmented Reality Glasses

Microsoft will release a developer edition of its HoloLens augmented reality glasses for $3,000. CNET

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft may not be the only game in town when it comes to HoloLens augmented reality glasses.

Asus, the world's sixth biggest PC maker, is talking with the Windows software maker about building its own version of HoloLens, Jonney Shih, Asus' CEO, and Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of Windows and devices, have told CNET.

Asus' interest in building its own product could give a boost to augmented reality, which projects 3D images in front of your eyes and overlays them on real-world environments. Microsoft is expected to release a developer's version of its Hololens for $3,000 in the first quarter. Asus, known for building affordable PCs, could eventually create a more affordable version that may end up in your home. For Microsoft, the hope is that many companies adopt this technology, which runs on Windows 10.

"Everything we're doing in hardware, we do with the mind of how do we grow the Windows ecosystem," Myerson said. "That is why we're investing to create a category."

It's ultimately up to Shih whether Asus makes its own version of Hololens, Myerson added.

Shih said he's "still evaluating" what form any potential Asus augmented reality glasses will take. "Wait and see," he said.

As for Microsoft's HoloLens, Myerson declined to say when Microsoft could start selling a cheaper, consumer version of the product. But he said, "When my kids can't put the Minecraft on HoloLens down, we know it's ready for Minecraft players."

Minecraft is a wildly popular game in which players use textured cubes to build a 3D world, impressed crowds when it was shown on HoloLens. CNET earlier this year called it HoloLens' "killer app."