Microsoft is going all-in on a future dominated by virtual worlds, first with virtual reality, then augmented reality, and now – with Microsoft Mesh – mixed reality technology.
Microsoft unveiled Mesh, a new virtual interaction platform that could change the meaning of real-world interaction. Mesh is a platform that combines HoloLens AR with Windows Mixed Reality VR.
Microsoft may be a latecomer to the battle for supremacy in a social milieu turned upside down by Covid-19, but their timing is impeccable. Microsoft Mesh is a new virtual environment that allows teams to work on projects as if they were in the same physical space.
The VR experience is nothing like what VR and AR can produce when used combined. Users can use their natural person-to-person social abilities to express themselves without being blocked by an opaque 2D monitor using Mesh's mixed reality.
What is The Sell in Microsoft Mesh?
Microsoft is releasing its mixed reality platform, which will allow developers to create content and interaction tools. Mesh, like other Microsoft virtual reality and augmented reality apps, wants to entice developers to use Azure's newest tool to build new types of content and personalize the platform's capabilities.
Microsoft's ability to demonstrate that virtual reality is the future of face-to-face meetings will be determined by how contributors create it. Microsoft is hoping that engineers, designers, and architects will realize the promise of the new platform. That is, it allows users to interact with genuine information models while yet looking cool.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella compared Mesh to Xbox Live, which played a hand in the transition from single-player to multiplayer gaming. Mesh, according to Nadella's keynote speech at Ignite, "follows the same open strategy that allows individuals to establish communities, connect, and succeed together."
"Imagine if the same thing happened with mixed reality as it did with multiplayer gaming," Nadella pushed the audience.
As the world waits for a social platform replacement for Zoom and Twilio, Microsoft promotes Mesh as the ideal option for physical meetings.
Features and Capabilities of Microsoft Mesh
Mesh turns individuals into virtual avatars by turning them into objects. To create this experience, Microsoft leverages avatars from AltspaceVR, a virtual social network platform it acquired in 2017. With the use of beams, this innovative holoportation technology creates lifelike objects and real-time situations. It allows individuals to interact with avatars in a holographic environment.
Users can reach out and hold objects with their hands, stretch to zoom them in, and pinch to move or remove sections with Mesh. Mesh provides a world that is rich in detail, immersive, and visually stunning. However, given the amount of raw data required to construct it, the virtual space may be restricted.
Microsoft quickly defended Mesh, claiming that the demo was only a demonstration of the new mixed-reality technology's potential.
Microsoft demonstrated how their new platform might be used to create a lifelike experience in a virtual environment using a VR headset in a demo with two avatars and a table. The Microsoft Mesh experience, on the other hand, is dependent on the device used to capture and recreate the sceneries. An all-encompassing headset, for example, provides a more realistic and immersive 3D experience.
Mesh isn't just for HoloLens 2, which is perhaps the best news about it. This platform works with all Windows-based mixed-reality headsets, including the Oculus Quest, Valve Index, and HP Reverb.
Microsoft Mesh and The Future of Work
Microsoft may have thrown Mesh into the world to let developers and businesses shape it into whatever they want, but it's apparent that it wants it to be used for commerce. If users can rapidly convert video conferencing into a virtual conference with no effort, Mesh may soon have the greatest influence on Microsoft Teams.
Mesh and similar technologies have been the subject of research at Microsoft Research, with the goal of combining them into a unified platform. Hand and eye tracking technologies, AI modeling, and avatar animations are the areas of research and development where they have made the most progress. These are the key technologies that allow users to create avatars and interact with them in the virtual world.
The Microsoft HoloLens software, which is accessible for Windows, is already a popular tool among companies that use Microsoft technologies, particularly Teams. If Microsoft Mesh follows suit, it will be available as a packaged solution to help companies organize meetings, work gatherings, and other social gatherings. Mesh will be used by Microsoft to provide a variety of applications created by partners and third parties.
Microsoft Mesh's creativity is concealed in the way it saves and analyses data. It uses a cloud-based holographic model. To process 3D data, execute AI, and construct mixed reality settings, it uses Azure's massive computational resources.
Users do not need to invest much in hardware because the holographic content is processed and stored in the cloud. Mesh is expected to find a home in applications that connect the digital and physical worlds for entertainment and social gatherings, according to optimists.
Current Investments in VR, AR, and Mixed Reality
More corporations are following Microsoft's lead and investing in AR and VR technology. As global economic conditions begin to improve following COVID-19, the overall virtual reality market is likely to rise. Facebook and Google are two of the most well-known corporations developing ground-breaking virtual reality technology. According to IDC, by the end of 2020, companies will have spent over $18.8 billion on VR/AR hardware and software research and development.
At the moment, Microsoft is the only large fish brave enough to try to create a technology that appeals to businesses. Microsoft Mesh and similar technologies are predicted to be extremely advantageous to industries such as education, shopping, and health.
The most significant stumbling block to virtual reality technology is the high cost of hardware. Businesses are struggling to grasp how they will return their investment in virtual reality equipment because it requires far more than smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft has been pretty open about how they envision a future with virtual workplaces. Only time will tell whether Mesh's Holoportation appeals to businesses trying to make their employees more productive while working remotely. Apart from Microsoft-powered VR headsets, it promises to function on a wider range of smart devices. Mesh virtual reality programs may soon be available for Android and iOS cellphones, as well as other Windows devices.
If your firm is using or contemplating using Mesh, Meet, or HoloLens 2 for virtual meetings, or to purchase Microsoft through Office 365 contact RCS Professional Services. As a Microsoft Partner, we provide premier pricing and support on Microsoft products and licensing.
