HoloLens dev kit pegged at $3,000

Microsoft is preparing to join the Virtual Reality race with its own take on the tech.

A HoloLens developer kit, priced at $3,000, will be made available in early 2016 with applications now being accepted.

Revealing its plans during an October 6 presentation, Microsoft made clear that the Hololens is wireless, and does not require another computer or smartphone to power it.

Both aspects differentiate it from conceptually similar systems from Oculus VR, PlayStation, HTC and Valve, StarVR and Samsung.

For comparison, Oculus VR and PlayStation VR, at the upper end of consumer-grade virtual reality headsets, are expected to retail for $399 or thereabouts.

The HoloLens equipment also adopts an augmented reality approach, similar to Google Glass, in that it projects a digital layer onto a see-through headset rather than completely replacing its user's field of view with a computer-generated display.