| Windows Mixed Reality | |
|---|---|
 Simulated image of Windows Mixed Reality running onMicrosoft HoloLens | |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Successor | Windows Mixed Reality Link |
| Type | Mixed reality |
| Website | www |
| Part ofa series of articles on |
| Windows 10 |
|---|
| Siblings |
| Related |
Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) is a discontinued platform byMicrosoft which providesaugmented reality andvirtual reality experiences with compatiblehead-mounted displays.
WMR supports a number of virtual and augmented reality headsets,[1] including Microsoft HoloLens. In December 2023, Microsoft announced deprecation of WMR. In December 2024, Microsoft released a companion app,Windows Mixed Reality Link, a successor of Windows Mixed Reality to allowMeta Quest headsets to pair their headset to Windows.[2]
Its flagship device,Microsoft HoloLens, was announced at the "Windows 10: The Next Chapter" press event on January 21, 2015.[3] The HoloLens provides an augmented reality experience where a live presentation of physical real-world elements is incorporated with that of virtual elements (referred to as "holograms"[a] by Microsoft)[4][5][6] such that they are perceived to exist together in a shared environment. A variant of Windows foraugmented reality computers[7] (which augment a real-world physical environment with virtual elements) Windows Mixed Reality features an augmented-realityoperating environment in which anyUniversal Windows Platform app can run.[8]
The platform is also used forvirtual reality headsets designed for use on theWindows 10 Fall Creators Update, which are built to specifications implemented as part of Windows Mixed Reality, but lack support for augmented-reality experiences. In January 2023, Microsoft laid off entire teams which were developing HoloLens, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality products.[9] On December 21, 2023, Microsoft announced that WMR has been deprecated and would be removed from Windows 11 in late-2024.[10][11] On February 8, 2024, Microsoft announced Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26052, which removes WMR components; the change officially took effect onWindows 11, version 24H2.[12][13]
In April 2024,Meta Platforms announced Microsoft as a third-party hardware partner for itsAndroid-basedHorizon OS platform (as used onMeta Quest headsets), with plans for a "limited edition" Quest model under theXbox brand.[14][15]
In 2025, Microsoft employee Matthieu Bucchianeri released "Oasis", a reverse-engineered driver allowing native use of Windows Mixed Reality headsets on Windows 11 viaSteamVR, including support for device-specific features such as eye-tracking on the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition. In September 2025,Valve began to bundle the driver with the beta version of the SteamVR runtime. The driver does not currently support native Bluetooth, and only supportsNvidia graphics cards.[16][17]
The premier device for Windows Mixed Reality,[7]Microsoft HoloLens is asmart-glasses headset that is a cordless, self-contained Windows 10 computer running Windows 10 Holographic. It uses various sensors, a high-definition stereoscopic 3Doptical head-mounted display, and spatial sound to allow for augmented reality applications, with anatural user interface that the user interacts with through gaze, voice, and hand gestures.[18][19][20] Codenamed "Project Baraboo", HoloLens had been in development for five years before its announcement in 2015, but was conceived earlier as the original pitch made in late 2007 for what would become theKinect technology platform.[20][21]
Microsoft has targeted HoloLens for release "in the Windows 10 timeframe", with the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition to begin shipping March 30, 2016, available by application to developers in the United States and Canada for alist price of US$3000.[3][22] Although the Development Edition is considered to be consumer-ready hardware, as of February 2016 Microsoft has not set a time frame for consumer availability of HoloLens, with HoloLens chief inventorAlex Kipman stating that HoloLens will have a consumer release only when the market is ready for it.[23] Companies such asSamsung Electronics andAsus had expressed interest in working with Microsoft to produce their own mixed-reality products based on HoloLens.[24][25] Intel made a direct competitor called Project Alloy with its system called "Merged Reality"; however, it has been cancelled as of September 22, 2017.[26][27][28]
In October 2016 during a hardware event, Microsoft announced that multiple OEMs would releasevirtual reality headsets for the Windows Holographic platform, based on Microsoft reference designs enabling room-scalevirtual reality without external sensors or components.[29] In January 2017, prototypes were presented atConsumer Electronics Show for release later in the year,[30] and Microsoft later announced that it planned to release development kits for such headsets during theGame Developers Conference. These devices would be supported by the Windows 10 "Creators Update".[31] At theGame Developers Conference in 2017, Microsoft stated that it intended to support Windows Mixed Reality headsets onXbox One in 2018, specifically noting the capabilities of the then-upcomingXbox One X hardware revision, but the company later stated that it was initially focusing on PC platforms first, and that it wanted to focus on wireless VR solutions for consoles.[32][33]
In October 2017, Microsoft officially launched Windows Mixed Reality and a lineup of third-party virtual reality headsets for use with the Windows 10 "Fall Creators Update", including launch hardware fromAcer,Dell,HP, andLenovo, and future products fromAsus andSamsung. WMR-compatible VR headsets were officially referred to asWindows Mixed Reality immersive headsets,[34] as the underlying ecosystem is referred to as Windows Mixed Reality regardless of whether or not they are compatible with mixed reality. All WMR headsets utilizeinside-out tracking, which uses on-board sensors and cameras for motion tracking rather than external sensors.[35][36]
Immersive headsets were compatible with mixed reality software obtained fromMicrosoft Store, universal apps, and SteamVR-compatible software.[37][38] The ability to run desktop software was added on the Windows 10 "May 2019 Update".[39][40]
Microsoft classifies its minimum and recommended system requirements for Windows Mixed Reality as "Windows Mixed Reality PCs" (60 fps) and "Windows Mixed Reality Ultra PCs" (90 fps). The minimum requirements specify an Intel Core i5-7200U or better for laptops, 8 GB of RAM,Intel HD Graphics 620 or better withDirectX 12 support,USB 3.0, HDMI orDisplayPort connections, andBluetooth 4.0 support for controllers;The Verge noted that users "won't need a high-end gaming PC" to meet these recommendations.[36]
| Name | Headset type | Release date | Display type | Resolution (per eye) | Field of view | Audio | Connectivity | Initial retail price (USD) | Platform compatibility | Input |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft HoloLens | Augmented Reality | March 30, 2016(Development Edition) (Development Edition 2) announced May 2, 2019 | Proprietary | 1268x720[41] | 34° | Integrated Speakers | Bluetooth 4.1LE,IEEE 802.11ac |
| Windows Mixed Reality | Hand Gestures and Clicker[42] |
| Microsoft HoloLens 2 | Augmented Reality | Announced February 24, 2019 | Proprietary | 2560x1440[43] | 52°[44] | Integrated Speakers | Bluetooth LE 5.0, 802.11 2x2WiFi |
| Eye tracking, Spatial Tracking, Hand Tracking | |
| Lenovo Explorer** | Virtual Reality | October 17, 2017 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 110° | 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $349 ($449 with controllers) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| Acer AH101 | Virtual Reality | October 17, 2017 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 100°[46] | 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $399.99 (controllers included) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| Dell Visor | Virtual Reality | October 17, 2017 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 110° | 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $350 ($450 with controllers) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| HP WMR headset | Virtual Reality | October 17, 2017 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 100° | 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $449 (controllers included) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| Samsung Odyssey | Virtual Reality | November 6, 2017 | AMOLED | 1440x1600 | 110° | integrated AKG headphones, built-in microphone |
| $500 | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD (has a slightly different controller design to other WMR headsets)* | |
| Asus HC102 | Virtual Reality | February 20, 2018 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 95° | 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $399 (controllers included) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| Samsung Odyssey+ | Virtual Reality | October 22, 2018 | Anti-SDE AMOLED Display | 1440x1600 | 110° | integrated AKG headphones, built-in microphone |
| $500 | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD (same controllers as the Samsung Odyssey)* | |
| HP Reverb | Virtual Reality | May 6, 2019 | LCD | 2160x2160 | 114° | removable headphones, two integrated microphones, 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $599 Consumer Edition $649 Professional Edition[49] | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| Acer OJO 500 | Virtual Reality | October 17, 2019 | LCD | 1440x1440 | 100° | removable headphones, two integrated microphones, 3.5 mm audio jack |
| $399.99 (controllers included) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD* | |
| HP Reverb G2 | Virtual Reality | October 31, 2020 | LCD | 2160x2160 | 114° | Valve 'off-ear' headphones,[50] two integrated microphones |
| $600 (controllers included) | 6DoF dual controllers tracked by HMD (new controller design.*) |
* Note: Windows Mixed Reality headsets are also compatible with Xbox One Controllers.[51]
** The Lenovo Explorer is also sold in some regions as theMedion Erazer X1000 MR Glasses.
Mixed Reality Portal is aUniversal Windows Platform app that serves as afront-end for Windows Mixed Reality. It features a 3D environment which users can explore, and customize with application shortcuts andvirtual desktops. The feature originally launched with one environment, the Cliff House. A second, Skyloft, was added in the April 2018 Update.[52][53][54]
The Microsoft HoloLens is not what I think of when I hear the word "hologram." What Microsoft calls holograms, most of us have been calling augmented reality for years—overlaying digital images over our view of the real world.
While these things are quite different from a technical point of view, from a user's point of view, they have a large number of things in common. Wouldn't it be nice to have a short, handy term that covers them all, has a well-matching connotation in the minds of the "person on the street," and distinguishes these things from other things that might be similar technically, but have a very different user experience?
The easiest way to think about it [gaze-based targeting for HoloLens] is as having a raycast from the device and which you can determine what object (real world as represented in the spatial mapping mesh or holographic) that ray intercepts with.
The pair of Microsoft reps in the IPD room also explained to us the three ways we were going to interact with HoloLens: "gaze," wherein you move a cursor by looking around; "gesture," where you air tap to select an item; and "voice," which is...obvious. "We call it 'GGV'," said one of the reps.
Each lens has three layers of glass—in blue, green, and red—full of microthin corrugated grooves that diffract light. [...] A "light engine" above the lenses projects light into the glasses, where it hits the grating and then volleys between the layers of glass millions of times.
We will work to get devices out as quickly as possible. As soon as additional devices are available, more accepted applicants will be invited to purchase.
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