Hello everyone.
The Mixed Reality Forums here are no longer being used or maintained.
There are a few other places we would like to direct you to for support, both from Microsoft and from the community.
The first way we want to connect with you is our mixed reality developer program, which you can sign up for at https://aka.ms/IWantMR.
For technical questions, please use Stack Overflow, and tag your questions using either hololens or windows-mixed-reality.
If you want to join in discussions, please do so in the HoloDevelopers Slack, which you can join by going to https://aka.ms/holodevelopers, or in our Microsoft Tech Communities forums at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mixed-reality/ct-p/MicrosoftMixedReality.
And always feel free to hit us up on Twitter @MxdRealityDev.
The Mixed Reality Forums here are no longer being used or maintained.
There are a few other places we would like to direct you to for support, both from Microsoft and from the community.
The first way we want to connect with you is our mixed reality developer program, which you can sign up for at https://aka.ms/IWantMR.
For technical questions, please use Stack Overflow, and tag your questions using either hololens or windows-mixed-reality.
If you want to join in discussions, please do so in the HoloDevelopers Slack, which you can join by going to https://aka.ms/holodevelopers, or in our Microsoft Tech Communities forums at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mixed-reality/ct-p/MicrosoftMixedReality.
And always feel free to hit us up on Twitter @MxdRealityDev.
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Answers
Here is my scenario. Medium size games company wants to rival 343 Studio, doesn't want to tell MS about this and buys anonymously on eBay. Investment $21k financing sells games to make first big game on Holographic stage. Income $450 million day one launch and now they are BIG games company to rival MS. Return on investment 10,000 times
Grey and in this case Black Market resale of HoloLens devices is not likely going to benefit Microsoft or any of their ethical business partners.
Using the all powerful dollar as an excuse to ignore rules and to buy one's way to the front of the line is one of the hallmarks of corrupt governments, businesses unreputable individuals and organizations.
Exact numbers of Wave 1 shipped units is unclear to most of us, but estimates based on forum and social media posts make it look like about 10 units a week have been going out over the last three weeks. So maybe 30 - 50 Wave 1 units have shipped. There appear to have been 7 (~15-25%) of those units offered up on eBay already and 6 are listed as having sold. The sales prices of the $3,000 dev kit range from $8,200 to $25,000 with the proceeds rewarding and encouraging invitees to delay and steal opportunities from other parties who are abiding by the rules and waiting in line for a legitimate and authorized dev kit.
There are numerous parties complicit in this Black Market operation that include not only the sellers but also eBay and the buyers who's intentions of how they will use the device we can only speculate. However the use of these bootleg devices is just as likely to include other illegal acts like reverse engineering and patent infringement as it is more harmless, but no less admirable motivations like simple ego or greed of wealthy collectors and opportunists.
Windows Holographic User Group Redmond
WinHUGR.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - @WinHUGR
WinHUGR YouTube Channel -- live streamed meetings