A new preview build of Windows has now been released with support for VR/AR headsets removed. In some time, non-beta installations of Windows will receive this removal through a regular update. Microsoft announced in December last year that it was 'writing off' Mixed Reality.
The removal of support for Mixed Reality headsets marks the end of a nearly seven-year effort by Microsoft and its hardware partners in this area. Prior to adopting headsets from manufacturers such as Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, Microsoft had already invested significant time and resources in developing the HoloLens, its own augmented reality glasses.
This headset is also excluded from the 'deprecation' that Microsoft has announced for Mixed Reality (MR). Officially, the company is not completely pulling the plug on its vision for the combination of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The end has now begun for the strategy of cheaper headsets from third parties.
While those devices may still work, they will no longer work for end users once the support-removing update for Windows is rolled out generally. The first step is the release of the preview build, which was previously called a beta release. Microsoft is not only removing its hardware support for Mixed Reality, but is also tackling it in terms of software; various MR apps are being retired.
Ironically, this development comes in the same month as the launch of Apple's highly anticipated and relatively expensive MR headset, the Vision Pro. It is possible that Apple, as before with the tablet and smartphone market, will bring about a new dynamic. Microsoft entered those markets early as well, but without achieving significant success.
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