Conker Returns as a Holographic Demo

So, holograms are quite the rage these days, huh? I write one 'lil article about the future of gaming and visual technology and suddenly we get updates and news about VR headsets, true VR experiences, and holographic technology? I'm either way too good at this, or I’m simply misinterpreting a coincidence for fate. Fingers crossed it's the former.

Regardless, Microsoft's mysteriously but poorly named “hololens” had a bit of a leak earlier, where a report on Fortune detailed some key information about the future of the device. The article has been pulled, but the internet being what it is, that didn’t really amount to much, and now all that leaked information has spilled over to Reddit. For example, we now know that a dev kit will cost a wooping $3000, and that it will come pre-packaged with some sample software and games.

What kind of games? Well, being a gaming website, that’s kind of our forte, and I can assure you they’re sufficiently odd.

The first two, Fragments and project X-ray, don't amount to much as far as we're concerned, they’re more like slightly higher tech versions of the stuff in the Playroom or in a Wii Sports disk. What's more interesting, and the real reason we’re here, is the third game: a Conker prequel.

Yes, Conker Corker.
 

Young Conker takes the popular squirrel created by Microsoft-owned developer Rare off platform gaming and and into the real world. Developed by Asobo Studios (which also worked with Microsoft on Fragments), the game changes based on what environment the gamer is playing in.

“This means every person gets a unique gameplay experience, since each gamer’s real world environment is unique,” Tsunoda wrote. “It is amazing how different the play experience feels based on playing the game in your living room versus your kitchen or your bedroom. Even starting the game from a different position in a single room creates an entirely new gameplay dynamic.”

So… yeah. Pick a semi-obscure IP you haven't been able to do anything with since you first bought Rare, and turn it into a platformer for a holographic lens thing? Alright, Microsoft, you do you, but I think at this point it might be a bit disingenuous to call Conker “popular." “Fondly remembered” would probably be more apt.

Doesn't matter much anyway, I guess, unless you have three grand to spend.