Microsoft has opened up the platform behind its HoloLens augmented reality device, inviting partners to build their own products in different form factors and at different price points.

It means companies such as Asus, HTC and other Windows partners can now build devices for augmented reality and virtual reality using Microsoft’s technology.

HoloLens smart eyeware can layer virtual objects on top of the real world. Unlike virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift, a person wearing HoloLens can still see the world around them, because the virtual objects are projected onto a clear display.

Microsoft sees Windows Holographic, the platform behind HoloLens, as a way for people wearing different AR and VR headsets to communicate with each other in their respective virtual environments.

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