Yeah the techpreview was ok to access what is going to be in there but I had to go back to Windows 8.1 since nothing wanted to work right even the DCs wouldn't authenticate right.
From what I have seen using different emails with and without a gamertag, is that you will only receive the confirmation email for the beta sign up if your email has an existing gamertag tied to it. I am not sure if you can creat a gamertag without owning any xbox. I can't really remember as my xbox is sitting in a closet but I thought all gamertags had to have an email tied to it. So I guess what I am trying to state is that you cannot sign up for the Win 10 cross platform beta unless you have gamertag and then you must use the email tied to that particular gamertag. Hope I explained this better.
You CAN create a GamerTag without ever owning an Xbox - mine dates back to the original Xbox, and I have NEVER owned one - ever.
Like I said I could not remember that one detail...but you have to have a gamertag tied to the email you use in order to sign up for this win 10 cross platform beta.
Afforability is THE issue with any VR technology - the same is true of Oculus. However, with Microsoft behind it (and Windows 10 supporting it, and the Big Brains at places with JPL working with early hardware and code already) it definitely will NOT be another Kinect - it ofers WAY too many possibilities to be dismissed. There are several rather PLEBIAN possibilities for HoloLens - a virtual UI/UX for Windows itself measurable in feet. HoloSkype with Avatar Support. HoloCraft (Minecraft VR). All the above is mere surface-scratching.
Depends on what you are expecting, it will easily take 5-10 years before HoloLens is amazing enough for mainstream, what's important here is that Windows 10 has these APIs (which will grow with time) and HoloLens runs Windows 10 (probably not the desktop version^^) and Microsoft is welcoming other AR developers to join in, the best part here is that Microsoft created a AR platform! Basicly you can write Holo Apps that work on HoloLens but if Magic Leap goes and uses the W10 platform these same Apps can work there but it needs to be seen how sophisticated these API's are, how well they can even integrate to a completly different device etc.
Since the event, I believe now that they truly want to release it once's it has been thoroughly tested and as stable as possible. Surely they would have wanted to release it the day of the event to get more momentum out of it. But since they decided to hold off, it seems clear that they want to make sure they get it right. So it's just a guessing game at the moment and it will come out when it's ready, that's just my take on it. Hopefully it comes out before the weekend. We'll see as soon as Gabe does one of his usual tweet hints.
And why NOT the desktop version? The entire point behind Windows 10 is that it is for everything - nothing locked to specific devices or form-factors (which is why WOA is in hot water). Those that are used to things being platform-locked don't like it because they are used to playing platforms against each other. Developers, on the other hand, love it because it's like the old song about New York (City) - if I code for Windows 10, it will work on every Windows 10 platform. CORE (Code Once/Run Everywhere) and WORE (Write Once/Run Everywhere) has been the Holy Grail of all programming for "how long"? The issues with both are those that have a vested interest in making sure it can't happen - and a lot of those WITH that vested interest had Microsoft as a partner (either willing or silent). Now, Microsoft is actually on the other side - in FAVOR of CORE and WORE - hence all the screams. (Applesauce and rice all over the place.) It's a major paradigm-changer - not merely a game-changer.