The Meta Connect 2022 (see our live) will have been the scene of multiple announcements. Among them, a solid partnership with Microsoft and a common vision of what the professional world will be like tomorrow. This collaboration might come as a surprise to many, but let’s remember that the Redmond firm is not at its first attempt in virtual reality (VR) and augmented (AR). remember that Microsoft has largely contributed to the advent of these technologies by being a precursor for serious solutions in ARthanks in particular to theHoloLens, used today in the professional, medical world or even in the army. Also remember helmets Windows Mixed Realitywhat are the HP Reverb, Lenovo Explorer or even the Samsung Odyssey to recite nobody else but them. All these technological advances have contributed to what we know today and Bill Gates’ company has largely contributed to it.
The agreement between the two companies relies heavily on the professional world. The pandemic has been an eye-opener for many about where our society could be heading in terms of the way of working. Our way of collaborating, of co-creating has become an experience. We are no longer dependent on a place or time, but rather on a way of proceeding to be ever more efficient and communicate better.
During this dark time, Microsoft Teams, has become the collaborative communication tool par excellence. This is how the two partners presented to us, on the sidelines of the Connectthe integration of Mesh for Teams on the Meta Quest. This is’a service designed to help people gather virtually and collaborate, regardless of location and device, regardless of how you look. So hear here that natural persons can be joined by avatars Meta. As one of the fast-food giants would quote: “come as you are”. Whether you are working in the Matrix (with a virtual reality headset), in a physical office (on a laptop) or on the go (on your smartphone), it will be possible to bring together in one place, a set of collaborators, whatever their appearance, physical or virtual. Horizon Workrooms will be the gateway from the helmets Meta Quest to have access to Teams.
The partnership does not stop there. We will be able, equipped with a Meta Quest 2 or a Meta Quest Pro, to interact with the ecosystem Microsoft. We mean by this that Microsoft365 will bring Word, Excel, Sharepoint and consorts in virtual reality, and will allow us to stream experiences Windows Cloud PC directly in our helmets. Active Directory, the identity provider Microsoft, will also be there to easily connect to these services and manage users. We can then interact with the content of our favorite productivity applications and work like at home, that is to say in a certain continuity, the work started on our computer can be continued in virtual reality, etc..
This new business model seems to delight as much Meta that Microsoft. The first sees it here the most plausible way to bring users gradually into its metaversewhile tackling the professional worldby creating new possibilities/opportunities with many partners, without neglecting its branch gaming. The second, by this means, counts further strengthen its presence in the world of work with its dematerialized office solutions, first in the clouds and now in the metaverse.
Even if spending the day wearing a helmet could put off a large majority of our fellow citizens, we must admit that this partnership seems attractive on paper, solid (Microsoft and its tools no longer have to prove themselves) and not meaningless if we deign to leave a part of us in this universe all in pixels. The constantly changing world in which we live is proof of this, we each have a part of us, sheltered in one way or another in the bowels of the digital world, and collaboration has never been so effective. It remains to be seen at what cost these business solutions will be offered and to what extent these changes will be made to the detriment of our personal data and our freedoms.
And you, what do you think of this collaboration between two major digital players? What will be the response of PICO and other actors AR / VR for the professional world? Case to follow.
Read also: Meta Quest: the Xbox Cloud Gaming catalog soon to be playable via the virtual reality headset!