The Windows Mixed Reality platform and related apps will no longer be included in future versions of Windows.

Microsoft has added new applications to the dreaded list of unsupported features. The most noticeable new name is Windows Mixed Reality, a software platform that supports mixed reality applications within Windows 10 and 11. Applications such as Mixed Reality Portal and SteamVR will therefore also be removed from Windows. This will happen with future versions.

Today the first beta version of Windows Insider (Build 26052) went online for testers without Windows Mixed Reality. You will no longer be able to use the headsets, including SteamVR and SteamVR Beta. Users will still be able to use their headsets in Steam until November 2026 as long as they do not update their computer to Windows 11 version 23H2. Then it’s finally over.

“This write-down does not affect HoloLens,” the company quickly adds.

Mixed Reality in Windows

Windows Mixed Reality was born in 2017 to make its mark in the world of virtual reality. At that time, glasses from HTC and Oculus (now renamed Meta Quest), among others, caused renewed enthusiasm for the technology because you could easily transform your living room into a virtual 3D world. Microsoft wanted to go one step further and integrate the virtual world into the physical world. With the mixed reality platform, Microsoft hoped to encourage VR device manufacturers to develop special hardware.

The platform never really took off, partly because mixed reality remained a niche technology. Even the Metaverse hype driven by Meta could do little to change this. Microsoft therefore seems to see no future for mixed reality applications within Windows. Now Apple is taking over with the launch of the Vision Pro glasses.

HoloLens

In a business context, Microsoft hasn’t completely abandoned virtual reality. The software giant will continue to support its HoloLens. The glasses do not run on Windows Mixed Reality, but on Windows Holographic. Microsoft HoloLens’ best-known customer is the US Army, which uses the glasses to train soldiers in combat situations. Microsoft is also still trying to get its Mesh platform for 3D meetings off the ground.

This article was originally published on December 22, 2023. The text has been updated with the latest information.