With the debut of Vision Pro and spatial computing becoming mainstream, audiences could reasonably assume that companies with established XR projects and products, like Microsoft or Snap, would re-establish their investments in XR.
However, despite using the term spatial computing before Apple, Microsoft appears to be dropping more support for Windows Mixed Reality, the framework that enables consumer desktop-based MR experiences.
A recent report highlights how Microsoft is removing some support frameworks for its MR hardware and software portfolio in the latest Windows 11 24h2 update.
The update placed Windows Mixed Reality on the company’s “Deprecated Features” list, a compilation of features Microsoft is no longer working on. This strongly suggests that Microsoft will discontinue support for the product.
However, the listing description states that “sometimes features are removed in new versions because new options have been added,” so new versions of mixed reality products may be released. However, this has not been confirmed. However, it appears that MR support has now been discontinued.
Microsoft is discontinuing development on the MR feature in Windows 11, and according to reports, Microsoft will discontinue compatibility on November 1, 2026 for Windows Home and Pro users, and November 1, 2027 for Windows Commercial.
Additionally, if Windows Mixed Reality users need support for XR products, Microsoft will no longer provide it.
However, despite the lack of support for mixed reality in Windows 11, Microsoft says, “This drop in support does not affect HoloLens. We remain committed to HoloLens and our enterprise customers.”
Is Microsoft Ignoring XR?
Microsoft recently shared details about its fiscal 2024 second quarter earnings call. A variety of topics were covered in this call, including genAI. However, it’s interesting to note that despite Microsoft’s increasing focus on developing XR solutions starting in mid-2023, there was no mention of MR/spatial applications, HoloLens 2, or an industrial metaverse roadmap during the call.
Microsoft’s main focus is to offer a range of digital solutions beyond immersive technologies, but the complete absence of XR in the call is notable. This is especially true considering that the company shifted its investments from XR to genAI less than a year ago and then started investing again mid-year.
Microsoft continues to roll out immersive solutions to enterprise end users around the world, including clients such as the U.S. Army, Boeing, and SNC-Lavalin. “We are also leveraging this AI moment to redefine our role in business applications,” Nadella said.
The new AI environment has proven beneficial to Microsoft, providing real financial advantages over the rocky road with XR over the past two years. So it’s understandable that Microsoft is turning its attention away from XR again, despite renewed interest in the field.
“By 2024, AI will be a top part of every PC,” Nadella explained. Microsoft appears to be entirely focused on AI, which has proven successful, thanks in part to its partnership with OpenAI, a leading genAI company.
Even in the gaming segment of the earnings call, which is XR’s most traditional use case, Microsoft didn’t mention XR. Instead, they naturally cited the power of AI in this field.
Microsoft moves Windows Mixed Reality to Github
In the second half of 2023, despite the recent decline in interest and investment, Microsoft actively worked to strengthen the Windows Mixed Reality support system and strengthen the industrial metaverse roadmap.
As part of this effort, Microsoft is partnering with Magic Leap and Qualcomm in 2023 to jointly invest in expanding Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 (MRTK3), an XR content creation platform for developers and enterprise partners.
This partnership allowed the MRTK3 framework to transition to an independent entity within GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft. This move makes MRTK3 more accessible to a wider range of users and hardware developers and enables further investment.
Robin Seiler, corporate vice president and chief operating officer of the Microsoft Windows + Devices organization. Explained:
We believe that to be a truly multi-platform toolkit that enables greater third-party collaboration, MRTK must be recognized as an independent organization that extends beyond Microsoft’s sole jurisdiction. That’s why we moved MRTK3 open source software (OSS) outside of Microsoft into its own independent organization within GitHub.
Since MRTK’s launch, Seiler noted that Microsoft has “built it to be cross-platform and open source to benefit not just HoloLens 2, but the entire ecosystem.”
Despite a solid partnership in 2023, the company’s recent Windows update could mean the end of mixed reality on consumer Windows devices. However, as Microsoft stated, this move will not affect enterprise clients.