Today, Microsoft announced Windows 10, a gigantic touchscreen computer for your wall, and other new products. But the thing that's captured everyone's attention is HoloLens, an augmented reality headset.

Wired's Jessi Hempel explains the thinking behind the idea: "In the very near future, you’ll compute in the physical world, using voice and gesture to summon data and layer it atop physical objects. Computer programs will be able to digest so much data that they’ll be able to handle far more complex and nuanced situations. Cyberspace will be all around you." How does it do that? "Project HoloLens’ key achievement—realistic holograms—works by tricking your brain into seeing light as matter." Uh. Okay! Here's a video:

Augmented reality has been on the way for some time now. Google's Magic Leap investment is supposed to be paying off at some point in the near future. But Microsoft is moving forward with HoloLens on a timeline that Magic Leap (and the Oculus Rift) don't seem to be able to match.

The more I see of this kind of stuff, the more I think it's the future of computing. But the buy-in seems pretty steep—you have to somehow convince human beings that it's cool to wear enormous fucking headsets for hours at a time. The HoloLens (or Magic Leap, or Oculus Rift, or whatever two futuristic-sounding words tech makers want to mash together) needs to be a completely magical experience for people to be convinced that this is worth their time. If Microsoft can match the vision of the concept video, people might be convinced. But has any tech product ever actually met the promise of a concept video? Are we ready as a society for bulky headsets so soon after mocking Google Glass to death? What do you think, Slog?