Microsoft has revealed that it is putting an end to its Windows Mixed Reality efforts by listing Windows Mixed Reality along with its accompanying Mixed Reality Portal app and Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR on Windows' list of deprecated features.

Windows Mixed Reality was Microsoft's ambitious attempt to build a VR ecosystem for Windows PCs, but there had been no movement on it whatsoever in recent years. The company stated that Windows Mixed Reality is "deprecated and will be removed in a future release of Windows."

There were several VR headsets made for Windows Mixed Reality, but most of them were released between 2017 and 2021. Since then, no OEM manufacturers have released new VR headsets for Windows Mixed Reality. This is likely because SteamVR, with its richer game lineup, proved to be the more successful platform.

Windows Mixed Reality served as a gateway to games, apps, and other experiences in VR space. In addition to Microsoft's HoloLens, companies such as Acer, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, HP, and Samsung manufactured mixed reality (MR) headsets compatible with Microsoft's platform. Earlier this year, Microsoft added a free Windows 11 upgrade for headsets along with several other improvements.

Given that HoloLens chief and brilliant maverick Alex Kipman departed the company last year amid sexual misconduct allegations, and that many of the employees supporting Microsoft's XR projects were laid off during the company's massive layoffs from last year into this year—which included the now-discontinued AltspaceVR app—it was an expected, and perhaps unsurprising, move for the company's XR projects to be scaled back or discontinued.

That said, while Microsoft's focus on its own devices may have waned for now, the company continues to focus on other applications of VR. For example, the Microsoft Mesh app is soon expected to enable meeting with colleagues in virtual space without a headset. Additionally, through its partnership with Meta, Quest users are now able to access Office apps and the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform.

While there have also been reports of struggling VR headset sales, Meta's Quest 3 has recorded solid sales, and with new budget-friendly VR headsets on the horizon and the entry of players like Apple and Samsung, we can hope this space picks up a bit more momentum in 2024.

Sources