Like everyone else, Microsoft no longer cares about Windows Mixed Reality
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Microsoft had a chance to storm the market with Windows Mixed Reality but failed to capitalize on their ownership of the Windows platform by making PC requirements too high, limiting the market to only the shrinking demographic who use desktop PCs or the tiny segment who use laptops with good graphics cards.
The platform has struggled to gain market share, and now it appears Microsoft has decided to stop trying to make it happen.
WindowsUnited.de reports that recent changes to Microsoft’s Affiliate program reflect the platforms Microsoft wishes to support.
Notable is that Microsoft will no longer pay a commission on Windows Mixed Reality headsets sold via the Microsoft Store. They join Windows Phone and the Microsoft Band as also being zero-rated – not exactly the best company to be in.
In an email Microsoft says:
With this reclassification, we will focus our investment activities on Surface and Xbox products rather than on the following product categories
Other products which Microsoft will no longer be promoting include Xbox Live cards, Visual Studio and Windows, but these were never products that were pushed by Affiliate members to any degree.
One big surprise is, however, Xbox Game Pass, as this is felt to be the key to Microsoft’s “Netflix of Gaming” future.
Microsoft is increasingly seeing Windows Mixed Reality as an enterprise rather than consumer play. Is this change evidence of Microsoft giving up on consumer WMR? Let us know below.
