Windows 11’s 2024 update finally kills this once-promising feature

The big Windows 11 24H2 update has brought all kinds of interesting and useful new features, but it has also removed several apps and features that Microsoft no longer wants to support going forward.

One of those removed features is Windows Mixed Reality (WMR), which first launched back in 2017 and was meant to be a platform for virtual reality and augmented reality experiences via WMR-compatible headsets, like the Microsoft HoloLens (which was also recently abandoned).

The 24H2 update for Windows 11 officially deprecates WMR functionality, making once-compatible devices no longer operational and killing Steam VR apps along with them. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, though, since the company previously announced the deprecation of Windows Mixed Reality late last year.

Microsoft has stated that existing mixed reality devices can still be used until November 2026 (e.g., via SteamVR), but only if the Windows 11 24H2 update isn’t installed. Alternatively, Windows Mixed Reality is still available on Windows 10.

Why abandon Windows Mixed Reality?

Microsoft’s foray into the VR market began back in 2015 with the “Windows Holographic” XR platform plus other affordable XR headsets from third-party manufacturers.

XR stands for extended reality, which is an umbrella term that covers virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality.

Mixed reality overlays a digital world on top of the real world, so that you aren’t immersing yourself in a fully digital world (virtual reality) but rather using a headset to see virtual objects that are anchored in the real world. Augmented reality, on the other hand, has digital elements projected into a physical environment.

Then, in 2017, Microsoft launched Windows Mixed Reality, allowing users the opportunity to experience VR applications via Steam and other platforms. In 2020, Microsoft also released the HP Reverb G2 virtual reality headset in collaboration with Valve.

Yet, despite some cool features that earned Microsoft’s devices a special spot in the development of extended reality, demand for their devices remained low. Other manufacturers, like Oculus (now part of Meta) and Sony, were more successful and even they continue to struggle with relatively low consumer interest in expensive XR gear.

There’s also the lack of truly exciting games and experiences that could make the technologies more appealing to mainstream audiences. Even Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset failed to garner much interest, and Google recently killed its Project Iris attempt at VR/AR.

Given all the above, it’s really no surprise to see Microsoft leave XR behind and focus its efforts on other endeavors, like its recent pushing of AI-driven Copilot+ PCs that have similarly failed to impress.