Official reason
Windows Mixed Reality deprecated.
Microsoft · VR / AR
Windows Mixed Reality
RIP
2017–2023 · 6 years in market
PC VR headsets from Acer, HP, Samsung. SteamVR and Quest made the Windows-branded aisle irrelevant.
Launched
Jan 1, 2017
Discontinued
Dec 1, 2023
Cause of death
Hardware miss
What actually happened
Standalone Quest won living rooms; SteamVR won enthusiasts. WMR was the third shelf.
Lesson
A platform layer nobody asked for, on top of hardware you do not make, is a briefing, not a business.
Similar products that survived
Meta
Meta Quest
Standalone, content-funded VR.
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The browser that won the first war and lost the next three. Retired in favor of Chromium Edge.
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Messaging/Replaced by successor+34