Getting lured in, to the exciting yet largely undiscovered mixed reality tech, Microsoft is now teaming up with Intel in an effort to give mixed reality a run.
As you might have guessed, mixed reality is a kind of fusion between AR and VR. The company hopes to pursue this path when most tech developers are taking on just one of the two stated realities — largely due to the individual complexities that come with both of these. The Redmond giant along with Intel, is aiming to develop an augmented reality technology based on Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets.
Just today, Intel announced a seemingly new take of the VR tech. An all-in-one VR headset that doesn’t need to be connected to a phone or computer called Project Alloy was announced by the tech company. The headset is completely wireless and comes with its very own battery and processor. It also has a camera that lets you see other objects in your room, as well as nearby people.
The company said that Alloy is a part of Intel’s push around “merged reality,” which combines both VR and augmented reality into a single cohesive experience.
That’s where Microsoft comes in. The company hopes to combine Intel’s new technology to its expert-made HoloLens to offer a state-of-the-art mixed reality experience. The company is releasing the Windows Holographic Shell as part of an update to all Windows 10 PCs next year. This will allow Windows users to enjoy VR using Microsoft’s very own HoloLens.
The companies together are aiming to enable hardware vendors to build a broad range of devices for the mainstream consumer and business markets. The two partners are confident that the Windows Holographic shell will enable an entirely new experience for multi-tasking in mixed reality.
“Anyone can take Alloy hardware, combine it with Windows Holographic, and build a world-class VR system,”
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said.
Intel has announced that the first version of its mixed reality headset will go live in December this year at Microsoft’s WinHec event in China. The company added that the Project Alloy hardware will be open-sourced in the second half of 2017.
https://youtu.be/Gu09UWqS8-Q
Mixed reality will enable users to navigate real-world spaces with augmented designs. For instance, you may be in your room wearing Alloy and walking around to the world. But within the headset, you might as well be roaming around in China.
