In January 2015 Microsoft presented Windows 10 for the first time atWindows 10: The Next Chapter”. During the same event, the Redmond company also revealed Microsoft HoloLenshis visore AR/VR. Microsoft’s ambitions for mixed reality were high, just as they are now with the Copilot assistant. At the time, HoloLens and the related platform structure were called “Windows Holographic“. In 2017 the platform was then renamed “Windows Mixed Reality”. Despite the initial enthusiasm for this new technology, Windows Mixed Reality never made the “big leap”. Precisely for this reason, eight years after its birth (if we count the official launch of Hololens) Microsoft announced that will no longer support the platform.
Microsoft: goodbye also to Mixed Reality Portal and Windows MR for SteamVR
On a page of its official website where the Windows client functionality which will be deprecated in the future, Microsoft has also added Windows Mixed Reality. The company revealed that, in addition to this platform, the app will also be removed Mixed Reality Portal e Windows MR per SteamVR e Steam VR Beta. As reported by the US company itself: “Windows Mixed Reality is deprecated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. This deprecation includes the Mixed Reality Portal and Windows Mixed Reality app for SteamVR and Steam VR Beta”.
While it might be hard to believe in hindsight, Microsoft’s initial enthusiasm wasn’t wrong. Virtual reality seemed the next big thing of the moment, just like now with theartificial intelligence. It was therefore natural for the technology giant to get on that train, to avoid falling behind its competitors. It’s fair to say, however, that the industry as a whole, including Microsoft, probably overestimated the potential of Mixed Reality. The Redmond company has not been able to grow the business around this sector, except for a few niche markets. Apple e Metawith them Vision Pro e Meta Quest they are trying to revive virtual and augmented reality. However, the prices of such headsets are still prohibitive for most users. The two companies will soon abandon the MR like Microsoft or will their strategy prove successful?