Microsoft is bringing mixed reality media into your home and workplace with its new Microsoft Mesh platform, which uses holoportation to place you in any virtual reality environment around the world.
Microsoft Mesh Rolls Out Holoportation Tech
Microsoft Mesh is a new platform built on Microsoft Azure. It will allow the development of immersive, interactive experiences built inside mixed reality apps. Users can connect and share the same virtual experience in real-time.
Microsoft Mesh and holoportation will bring your actual person into the mixed reality environment. Currently, most virtual reality environments require you to use an avatar of some format, be that representative of yourself or a custom image.
Mesh will change that by importing a virtual version of your actual image, allowing you to act as and present as, well, you. At least, a photorealistic representation of yourself.
The new mixed reality platform was revealed at Microsoft Ignite, the company's annual developer conference. Microsoft partnered with some distinguished names to illustrate the capabilities of Microsoft Mesh.
For example, Pokémon GO developers Niantic were on hand with a Mesh Hololens proof-of-concept, which you can see below. The evolution of augmented reality games like Pokémon GO into full mixed reality experiences is a natural step.
James Cameron's OceanX submarine exploration venture also chimed in to explain how Microsoft Mesh works. The OceanXplorer research vessel will use "a Mesh-enabled holographic laboratory" to work collaboratively in the same space, using real-time video and images from the ocean floor or otherwise.
Microsoft Pushing Mixed Reality Future
Microsoft is certain the future will feature mixed reality environments, and few would bet against that vision. The original HoloLens was launched back in 2016 and received a lot of coverage, but it still took a few years for applications to really pick up.
Now, with the HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Mesh, collaborative mixed reality environments are taking a step closer to the homes and workplaces of regular people. Where the original HoloLens was niche, Microsoft Mesh will attempt to push mixed reality experiences out to the masses.
The COVID-19 has been a boon for Microsoft in many ways. The official Microsoft Mesh Technical Overview reports that "More than 50% of the Fortune 500 organizations have deployed HoloLens and other Mixed Reality solutions, "though the creation and development of mixed reality environments remains low."
Mesh will arrive not only with the promise of mixed reality environments but with a complete SDK for development, support for HoloLens and other virtual reality devices, and in the future, strong integrations with Microsoft products such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and AltspaceVR.
I, for one, cannot wait for my Microsoft Teams meetings to be held in James Cameron's ocean lab.