Topic: Microsoft VR incoming

Late 2021 Microsoft announced Microsoft Mesh for Teams. It is a ‘metaverse- based’ workspace within Teams that uses avatars, 3d environments and several ways to use mixed reality devices like Hololens. But at 3k a hololens is not a mainstream device and besides the immersive experience of a VR device is 10 times higher while also 10 times cheaper to produce. Mesh for Teams will work and look a lot like Meta Workrooms and Microsoft will have updates around this project begin June. (E3 time?) and set a releasedate of Mesh for teams in 2022. It would be great if they used Rare’s avatartech in the toolset but I’m not sure how the creation aspect of these tools will work out. Also when they do create a VR set, why create it exclusive for MS Teams, that wouldn’t make sense, so that’s why I think it will work across Windows, Xbox and Teams apps. What do you think?

I'd like to see MS support VR on Xbox, but I'd be surprised. My HP Reverb G2 is great on PC but all Microsoft does is supply tracking and a compatibility layer for SteamVR and OpenXR. MS has the tech, if they cared enough to use it. Honestly, I don't care for social VR, and I care for it even less in a work context. I can see training and video games, VR excels at immersion and motion controls. But to simulate society, let alone an office, it would probably feel cheap. I wouldn't read into Microsoft Teams as anything indicative of Xbox. I'd like to hope but I'm not trying to make myself believe it will happen.

Thanks! I really understand your reply. I was very sceptical about using VR for office but since I personally tried Meta Workspace for some lengthy sessions I see its potential. Not as a replacement for reallife but as an escape when reallife meeting is not possible. If MS wants to be a player in the metaverse battle and want to compete against Meta, Disney, Apple and the world platforms it needs a AR/VR/MR device that is at a afforfable level. Just need to. I am exited to see whats next. I do believe Xbox will play a large part in MS metaverse but how that will turn out I don’t know. I just wanted to think out loud with you guys. Just to get some perspectives.