Microsoft has announced that it is ending AltspaceVR, a startup that developed a social network dedicated to virtual reality (VR), which the company acquired in 2017.
Social media platform AltspaceVR will be mothballed on March 10. This announcement comes days after Microsoft announced 10,000 layoffs. Microsoft acquired the VR company for an undisclosed sum just months after AltspaceVR planned to shut down due to financial difficulties.
Microsoft acquired AltspaceVR at a time when the company was promoting HoloLens, a mixed reality headset powered by Windows 10. At the time, other hardware makers were interested in VR/AR headsets, such as Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. Satya Nadella then designated augmented reality as one of Microsoft’s three big bets. The others being AI and quantum computing.
Everything about the metaverse
The AltspaceVR team will now focus on immersive experiences powered by Microsoft Mesh, the metaverse that Microsoft started putting into Teams, after announcing the product in 2001.
The connection between Mesh and Teams seems to be where AltspaceVR will focus its VR efforts in creating new “workplace experiences”.
“In the near term, we are focusing our VR efforts on workplace experiences, learning from and alongside our early customers and partners, and ensuring we provide a foundation that enables the security, trust, and compliance. Over time, we hope to expand our business into consumer experiences,” AltspaceVR explains in a blog post.
Mesh is Microsoft’s version of the metaverse. The company has a Mesh app for Teams and a Mesh app for HoloLens.
Source: “ZDNet.com”