Microsoft debuted Windows Mixed Reality with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update last week. With the platform now out in the wild, Microsoft has opened its first Mixed Reality capture studios. There are currently two locations, San Francisco and London, but more will be opened in the future.
The purpose of the Mixed Reality studios is to give developers a platform to create holograms based on real life objects. Microsoft has already been using a similar set up at its main Redmond headquarters.
Through the development of Windows Mixed Reality, the company captured Buzz Aldrin, Cirque Du Soleil performances, and others to create augmented reality experiences. Alongside the San Francisco and London studios, Microsoft will continue to operate its Redmond base.
Third party creators can use the studios to build holograms that will work across Windows Mixed Reality headsets, HoloLens, and regular 2D screen. Studios are available for license, but Microsoft has not said how much it will cost (we guess a lot).
While the locations are for developers, Microsoft says it is targeting musicians, producers, athletes, and dancers. Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Academy is also being extended to San Francisco. The Academy brings basic teaching workshops to showcase app development for virtual reality and HoloLens.
Windows Mixed Reality
Microsoft is arguably in a position it has not been in for a long time. In the consumer space, the company is one of the leaders in a technology that is deemed “the next big thing”.
The company completely missed the importance of smartphones and that allowed Google and Apple to dominate the market. Microsoft has paid consistently for that oversight and has been clear that it wants to be on the crest of the next wave.
Windows Mixed Reality is arguably the most realized platform for augmented and virtual reality. Of course, being first does not mean being best of most successful, but Microsoft is certainly positioning itself well.
Indeed, the company may also be able to get back into the mobile market eventually. Microsoft all but killed Windows 10 Mobile last month. However, HoloLens chief Alex Kipman has previously said that Mixed Reality is the future of mobile.
