Is VR Great?

[metalnwood]

Ah ok, and seems like win 11 only? I only have a windows pc in the house for racing/flying so never felt the urge to upgrade that computers OS unless something forced me to do so.
So I, my G2 and win 10 will live out the next year or two together.

 

[blekenbleu]

Does that mean that OpenXR and OpenComposite stop working as well?

It means that the stuff in black on this diagram go away:

Other headsets using OpenXR and/or OpenComposite should be unaffected.
Here is a more detailed diagram:

 

[GeekyDeaks]

Mbucchia has said that WMR extends into a lot of places in the Windows OS and that it would be expensive for MS to continue supporting it. I'm reading pessimism from him about them keeping it going.

Others think MS will resolve this issue in a future update or patch. It's possible, but personally I think it's optimistic.

This was brought up back in December, but I cannot find the thread. Back then MS announced they would be removing WMR in 24H2:

Deprecated features in the Windows client - What's new in Windows

Review the list of features that Microsoft is no longer actively developing in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

learn.microsoft.com

From there I can still see the announcement back in Dec:

Windows Mixed Reality is deprecated and will be removed in Windows 11, version 24H2. This deprecation includes the Mixed Reality Portal app, Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR, and Steam VR Beta. Existing Windows Mixed Reality devices will continue to work with Steam through November 2026, if users remain on their current released version of Windows 11, version 23H2.

I interpret that as you cannot update past 23H2 and expect WMR to still work and that they will stop providing updates to WMR in 23H2 after Nov 2026.

If I can get another 2 years out of my G1 I'll be happy, but it doesn't really owe me anything now so I'd not grumble too much about getting a new one if push came to shove.

 

[metalnwood]

This was brought up back in December, but I cannot find the thread. Back then MS announced they would be removing WMR in 24H2:

Deprecated features in the Windows client - What's new in Windows

Review the list of features that Microsoft is no longer actively developing in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

learn.microsoft.com

From there I can still see the announcement back in Dec:

I interpret that as you cannot update past 23H2 and expect WMR to still work and that they will stop providing updates to WMR in 23H2 after Nov 2026.

If I can get another 2 years out of my G1 I'll be happy, but it doesn't really owe me anything now so I'd not grumble too much about getting a new one if push came to shove.

I am not a windows guy but as i look more in to what these updates provide, I would be worried about security etc.

So it looks like these releases like 23H2, 24H2 may bring some features but the older ones, say 23H2 still gets security updates for a two year period. So you can happily live on the current 23h2 with full security updates and never know the difference unless one of these yearly updates adds something that you require. Not sure how likely that is though.

edit. So if people are asking telling themselves that they can't live without updates, check what updates are there that you can't live without. It is likely there is no update you will actively use and the ones that matter, i.e. security will continue for 2 years.

 

[Neilski]

It is likely there is no update you will actively use and the ones that matter, i.e. security will continue for 2 years.

Agreed. But the way to achieve that isn't to disable the updates service as shown in the video from earlier, but to decline the feature update to 24H2 (unless it stops being optional of course) and just keep accepting the security and other updates for 23Hx.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Does that mean that MS is officially out of VR race, if we can call it a "race" today.
Or as James May would say "Does that mean he's not coming on then?".
Mistake or soberly calculated business decision?

 

[ltnordb]

Ruthless business decision is my guess.

Weird thing is WMR headsets have been popular and working well with MS flightsim, so one branch of MS is messing up for another (yeah I know Asobo is a separate studio, but still it's in the name).

 

[blekenbleu]

Weird thing is WMR headsets have been popular and working well with MS flightsim

MSFS 2020 requires OpenXR, which WMR did not directly support when released.
At the time, one might have expected MSFS 2020 to directly support WMR...
OpenXR support by WMR was introduced in 2019.

 

[blekenbleu]

Does that mean that MS is officially out of VR race

My guess is that both M$ and Apple want an XR market
that Apple calls spatial computing
and M$ has called Holographic Processing,
with neither having long term focus on dedicated VR headsets,
with or without MR passthru.

 

[blekenbleu]

Medium: The State Of Play In Spatial Computing/XR In 2024
"technology to build the true AR glasses [APPLE] has long hinted at
is simply not there"
" (Magic Leap and Brilliant Labs) ... represent current ideals in the pursuit of True AR Spatial Computing"

 

[RCHeliguy]

Medium: The State Of Play In Spatial Computing/XR In 2024
"technology to build the true AR glasses [APPLE] has long hinted at
is simply not there"
" (Magic Leap and Brilliant Labs) ... represent current ideals in the pursuit of True AR Spatial Computing"

What I've been saying from the beginning.
Apple is using this device to develop the UI ( eye tracking + gestures ) , create the killer apps needed for people to adopt this and to work out all main issues, but it is a severe compromise over what Magic Leap promised but wasn't able to deliver.

We will have a few generations of what Apple is selling before the hardware is mature enough to allow the Magic Leap type of solution to be compelling and then we will have something much closer to the end goal.

All that said, Brad is gushing pretty hard on this thing and seems very blown away by everything that Apple got right.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Looks like MS might kill XBox as well.

Microsoft To Discuss Future Of Xbox Amid PS5 Rumors This Thursday

Microsoft will share "updates on the Xbox business" on February 15.

www.gamespot.com

 

[RCHeliguy]

This isn't really about VR It's about what the AVP is.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Hmm... VR mod for the biggest Steam blockbuster hit.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Glad to hear Samsung is projecting a release by the end of the year. But with a $500 projected price point, they will be compared with the Quest 3 and not the AVP. There is no way they can put the tech in there to take the AVP head on.

Big questions will be whether they can create a solid inside/out tracking system that can compare will with Meta and whether they can afford to put uOLED displays in that headset at a $500 price which seems unlikely.

A bigger question is whether they could potentially fill the gap left by the Reverb G2 and sell a reasonably priced headset that could work well for sims. Although with a Snapdragon X2 Plus Gen2 CPU it will be heavier and require batteries.

Samsung XR/VR headset comes out of hibernation, imminent release date teased

A leak from The Korea Economic Daily has teased the sooner than expected arrival of the Samsung VR wearable, the XR headset.

www.pcguide.com

 

[Pär Öqvist]

Looks like MS might kill XBox as well.

Microsoft To Discuss Future Of Xbox Amid PS5 Rumors This Thursday

Microsoft will share "updates on the Xbox business" on February 15.

www.gamespot.com

LOL it went from releasing 4 older titles to be released on ps 5 to announcing new xbox console later this year

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Glad to hear Samsung is projecting a release by the end of the year. But with a $500 projected price point, they will be compared with the Quest 3 and not the AVP. There is no way they can put the tech in there to take the AVP head on.

Big questions will be whether they can create a solid inside/out tracking system that can compare will with Meta and whether they can afford to put uOLED displays in that headset at a $500 price which seems unlikely.

A bigger question is whether they could potentially fill the gap left by the Reverb G2 and sell a reasonably priced headset that could work well for sims. Although with a Snapdragon X2 Plus Gen2 CPU it will be heavier and require batteries.

Samsung XR/VR headset comes out of hibernation, imminent release date teased

A leak from The Korea Economic Daily has teased the sooner than expected arrival of the Samsung VR wearable, the XR headset.

www.pcguide.com

I've loved Samsung headsets, and as it's not from Zucker-Pucker, it's already a winner for me.

 

[blekenbleu]

whether they can create a solid inside/out tracking system

Samsung already had WMR tracking and may upgrade from that.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Samsung already had WMR tracking and may upgrade from that.

They used it but do not own the code as it is part of WMR, unless MS is willing open source it, afraid they would need to develop it from the scratch.

 

[wajdi]

I've loved Samsung headsets, and as it's not from Zucker-Pucker, it's already a winner for me.

What is the Spec if their upcoming headset ?! Resolution/FOV?