VRScout

FEBRUARY 21, 2018

HoloLens enters spotlight with new updates from Microsoft and a new ad featuring actor/rapper Common. Despite having released a developer edition all the way back in 2016, the Microsoft HoloLens has remained a relatively niche device.

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Road to VR

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Announced just last week, Microsoft’s Surface Studio all-in-one computer has been met with excitement and touted as an example of the company’s new approach to innovation. Microsoft says Surface Studio is made for designers and creators. SoundStage. The Night Cafe. Gnomes and Goblins. Space Pirate Trainer. Audioshield.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 10, 2019

Microsoft Flight Simulator seemed like the ideal candidate for VR support when it was unveiled back at E3 2019 in June, however word got out at E3 that the studio hadn’t fully committed to supporting VR headsets at launch. ” Microsoft Flight Simulator is slated to release on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs sometime in 2020.

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Road to VR

MAY 12, 2017

A job listing for a Senior Design Manager position on Microsoft’s “Xbox Mixed Reality team” says that the company is “looking to build a massively social gaming and entertainment experience for both the PC and the console.” Though given how early it is, we won’t be holding our breath just yet.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

Microsoft today revealed HoloLens 2 at MWC 2019 in Barcelona. Image courtesy Microsoft. Image courtesy Microsoft. Microsoft says that HoloLens 2 will be available for $3,500 (putting it squarely in the non-consumer category), and pre-orders are available starting today. The headset is also equipped with eye-tracking.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

DECEMBER 30, 2016

People see PS VR as a bright hope for the industry in 2016 and 2017. It’s going to take a lot on Sony’s part to convince the masses to adopt VR; did it do enough in 2016? Even based on presentation alone, Sony’s E3 2016 press conference will be fondly remembered as the years go on. The Price Is Right.

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VRScout

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Microsoft is rescuing the beloved VR social network. The Silicon Valley social VR startup that has taken us on a roller coaster ride of emotions over the past months has big news—AltspaceVR has been acquired by Microsoft. Microsoft’s lineup of VR headsets. You can expect to see us in there tonight.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 8, 2019

A Microsoft patent application for a ‘virtual reality floor mat’ describes a special mat which defines a virtual playspace and can be used for tracking. Microsoft’s virtual reality mat patent application is a curious one. Image courtesy Microsoft. Image courtesy Microsoft. Image courtesy Antilatency.

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Tech Trends VR

JUNE 25, 2018

Since the HoloLens was first released almost three years ago, Microsoft has steadily been building partnerships and demonstrating an array of industry use cases across manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, education and many others. billion in 2016. The VR and AR device global market is predicted to reach circa $1.8

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

Microsoft’s Windows VR headsets (branded as ‘Mixed Reality’) are nearly ready to ship , coming alongside the launch of Windows Fall Creators Update in mid-October. Microsoft recently co-announced with Valve that the headsets will support SteamVR content , but didn’t say exactly when it would transpire.

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Road to VR

JUNE 22, 2023

At least from the outside, it appears Microsoft isn’t actively competing for a seat at the XR table, which is fairly odd coming from a company that pioneered enterprise AR while simultaneously wrangling some of its top OEM partners to make a fleet of PC VR headsets for consumers in 2017. If Microsoft goes in half-cocked, maybe.

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Road to VR

JUNE 11, 2017

At Microsoft’s pre-E3 keynote today, we’ve seen plenty of non-VR games coming to the Xbox console family, now including XBox One X (formerly Project Scorpio). Whether that includes VR support for the score of Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets from various manufacturers remains to be seen.

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VRScout

MAY 10, 2023

Needless to say, this kind of setup could prove beneficial in a number of virtual scenarios, whether you’re embarking on a long cross-country flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator or crafting hordes of items in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR. Credit: Hello Games No Man’s Sky originally launched in 2016 to mixed reviews.

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VRScout

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Microsoft just used their HoloLens for the first mixed reality Mannequin Challenge. Microsoft is jumping on board 2016’s biggest meme that first appeared on Twitter in the form of #MannequinChallenge, where groups of users created short video clips of themselves pretending to be mannequins as a camera moves through the frozen scene.

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Road to VR

JANUARY 31, 2020

Founded in 2016 by Anand Agarawala and Jinha Lee, the company’s social AR/VR workspace has since gone on to include support for Microsoft HoloLens 2, Oculus Quest, Magic Leap 1, Qualcomm XR2, Android/iPhone mobile device and traditional monitors. SEE ALSO Analysis: Monthly-connected VR Headsets on Steam Reach Record High of 1.3

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JUNE 8, 2017

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is in Los Angeles, CA next week and it’s always one of the largest events of the year for gamers, giving giants of the industry including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo the chance to show off the latest hardware and games to drive the next generation of consumer interest. Things are changing though.

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Road to VR

JUNE 10, 2018

Back in 2016, at the E3 reveal of the Xbox ‘Project Scorpio’ (which would go on to become the company’s flagship Xbox One X), Microsoft said the console would bring “high fidelity VR” to Xbox. We commit and harness the full breadth of our resources at Microsoft to deliver on the future of play.

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Road to VR

JANUARY 21, 2022

Bernard Kress, principal optical architect on Microsoft’s HoloLens team, has left the company to take on the role of Director of XR Engineering at the recently formed Google Labs.

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VRScout

JANUARY 23, 2017

The Australian Air Force and Saab Australia are trialing the Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headset as the Australian military evolves into a “fifth-generation fighting force.” In March 2016, Microsoft added Saab to its growing list of companies that are building enterprise-level applications for its AR headset.

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VRScout

JUNE 18, 2017

Augmented reality (AR) became more widely known after the success of Pokémon Go in 2016. In 2016 alone, there was over $1.6 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has shaken the company up since arriving in 2014. Investors have since been scrambling to back the next big AR hit. It’s a sign of the times.

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Upload VR

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Microsoft confirmed to UploadVR that it told its customers and partners now is the last time to buy the device before stock runs out. For the original HoloLens headset from 2016, the same will happen after December 10 2024, just over two months from now. HoloLens 2 production has ended.

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Road to VR

JUNE 18, 2019

A year ago, in response to Sony consistently delivering high-quality exclusives for PS4, Microsoft made a commitment to rejuvenating its first-party game development efforts and went on a shopping spree, acquiring a handful of respected studios to bolster its first-party game development talent under the Xbox Game Studios banner.

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Road to VR

DECEMBER 11, 2020

Created in partnership with Lenovo, Rift S was a step back in many ways from the original 2016-era Rift, but also a welcome jump forward in both display resolution and room-scale tracking. Thankfully, Rift S is also compatible with SteamVR, meaning your options for PC VR content are practically unlimited.

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Road to VR

JULY 30, 2019

Microsoft’s first-gen HoloLens, a device initially launched to developers in early 2016, has received its last major OS update, moving on to its Long Term Servicing (LTS) state. The original HoloLens will continue to receive monthly servicing updates, although the company hasn’t detailed how long these will last.

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XR Today - Virtual Reality

JANUARY 14, 2025

Virtual reality headsets, and tools like Microsofts Immersive Spaces app for Teams, Glue, or Remio give companies a 3D space where employees can hold meetings, host team-building activities, manage product demos and more. With VR, workplace productivity and collaboration gets an instant boost.

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Road to VR

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

In an era where Sony appears to have a significant lead in console sales already, and with PSVR sharpening the system’s competitive edge, pressure is mounting for Microsoft to figure out its Xbox VR strategy. Pressure is mounting Microsoft to figure out how its VR plans pan out on Xbox. Moving the Needle. Photo by Road to VR.

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VRScout

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 has officially begun shipping to pre-order customers at the cost of $3,500. So, what exactly can users expect from this anticipated follow-up to the original 2016 device? If you’re a developer working on your own, Microsoft offers the HoloLens 2 Development Edition. Image Credit: Microsoft.

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Road to VR

AUGUST 25, 2021

Back in 2016, I-Illusions bet on consumer VR with Space Pirate Trainer. “In a lot of ways, this feels similar to releasing Space Pirate Trainer back in 2016. Image courtesy I-Illusions. Image courtesy I-Illusions. Image courtesy I-Illusions. Image courtesy I-Illusions. Image courtesy I-Illusions. Image courtesy I-Illusions.

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Mojang, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Minecraft , announced it’s dropping support for the original PSVR next year, leaving any hope for PSVR 2 support firmly at (bed)rock bottom. Notably, the company didn’t throw gas behind PSVR 2 like it did with the 2016 original.

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Road to VR

AUGUST 28, 2017

Microsoft debuted the lengthily-named “Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers” back in May, but until now we haven’t had a chance to actually try them out. During a recent meeting with Microsoft in San Francisco, I got to try the VR controllers for the first time paired with the Acer Windows VR headset.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 30, 2017

While both Oculus’ Rift and HTC’s Vive hit the market right around the same time in 2016, the Vive was the first system with motion controllers and room-scale. It wouldn’t be until December of 2016 that Oculus got their Touch controllers out the door, adding much more immersive input to the system. The Middle.

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VRScout

MARCH 3, 2019

After four years of waiting, does Microsoft’s new holographic computer live up to the hype? Ever since I demoed the device in London for the first time back in 2016 I was convinced this was going to be something truly transformational. Possible HoloLens 2 use-case / Image Credit: Microsoft. HoloLens 2 / Image Credit: Microsoft.

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Road to VR

AUGUST 29, 2017

Yesterday’s announcement that Steam will support the forthcoming Windows VR headsets was big news which means that when owners get their hands on the headsets this holiday, they’ll have a strong library of VR content to draw from while Microsoft builds up its own library of VR games and apps on the Windows store.

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Road to VR

MARCH 19, 2017

” 2016 saw the arrival of 3 major consumer virtual reality headsets, the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. billion in 2016 to $18.6 IDC themselves predicted in 2011 that by 2015, Microsoft’s then new (and now dead) Windows Phone platform would overtake Apple’s IOS as in the mobile phone market.

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VRScout

DECEMBER 26, 2018

If 2016 was the birth of modern VR/AR technology, than 2018 was its elementary school graduation. While this past year may have seemed like a quiet one when compared to the more exciting releases featured in 2017 and 2016, these past 12 months have been crucial in the development of the immersive entertainment sector.

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Notably, nDreams is known for a host of VR games over the years, including The Assembly (2016) , Phantom: Covert Ops (2020) , Fracked (2021), and Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (2023), and more. At the time, the studio said it employed 250 people, meaning the layoff could affect up to 40 people.

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Road to VR

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

It’s had pop-up events and in-store demos as far back as 2016 to prepare for the launch of the original Oculus Rift. Opening physical stores though would be much larger step for Meta, putting it in the same retail class as Microsoft, Apple and Google; the latter just opening its first retail store this summer.

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