Microsoft was in a prime position to push its own mixed reality experience, once that potentially had more relevance to users and accessibility. It owns what is arguably the most-used operating system in the world and a suite of productivity apps and services that everyone also uses, whether they like it or not. Plus it has a dozen hardware partners to push the envelope of what headsets and computers can do.
Unfortunately, the HoloLens 2’s discontinuation marked the end of that potential, at least as far as Windows Mixed Reality is concerned. It seems, however, that Redmond isn’t giving up completely in dipping its toes in extended reality, but it is now doing so almost by proxy through a bridge between its Windows OS and the Meta Quest 3 headsets.
Designers: Microsoft, Meta
Microsoft has long given up on the commercial availability of its mixed reality platform and has opted to focus instead on industrial and business applications. Last October, however, it exited even that, leaving its technology in the unlikeliest of customers: the military. But while the HoloLens, Windows Holographic, and Windows Mixed Reality are practically dead, Microsoft is giving Meta Quest owners their own small taste of what could have been.
With a new Mixed Reality Link app, Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets will be able to connect to a local Windows 11 PC or an online Windows 365 Cloud account to create a virtual desktop right before their very eyes. What this practically means is that you can have three hi-res virtual monitors in a horizontal layout, something you might not own in reality due to cramped physical space.
This is a far cry from the more ambitious vision that Microsoft has been holding on for years, one that could have rivaled Apple’s Spatial Computing if it had actually become more widely available. What you’re basically getting is Windows 11 in a virtual space, completely disconnected from the rest of the real world. It’s an effect that’s already possible with more affordable glasses from the likes of Xreal or Rokid.
There are a few caveats to this kind of Windows VR experience that go beyond just the minimum requirements. Unlike a regular Meta Quest experience, however, you can only interact with Windows 11 using a keyboard and mouse, which is where Passthrough support comes into play. The experience doesn’t interact with the real world either, and it isn’t as dynamic as a true mixed reality platform. Still, if you’re in need of three monitors and have a Meta Quest 3 lying around, this is probably your best bet.