Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Toolkit is Now Being Developed with Qualcomm and Magic Leap

Summary

Microsoft has announced that its Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 (MRTK3) will now be developed independently, with Qualcomm and Magic Leap joining Microsoft on the steering committee. Earlier this year, Microsoft laid off the entire team developing MRTK, but this transition should be reassuring. MRTK3 is currently in public preview and is expected to reach general availability in the fall. It supports Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, and has experimental support for Windows and other VR headsets. Microsoft also announced last week that it was ending production of its Azure Kinect Developer Kit. The technology will still be available through third-party companies.

Q&As

AI Comments

👍 It's great to see Microsoft taking the lead to develop Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 with Qualcomm and Magic Leap's support. This project will be a great boon for developers looking to create mixed reality apps.

👎 It's sad to see Microsoft layoff the entire team that was developing the Mixed Reality Toolkit. It's concerning to see job cuts also affect the HoloLens team.

AI Discussion

Me: Microsoft's Mixed Reality Toolkit is now being developed with Qualcomm and Magic Leap. It's being spun off into its own organization, and Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Magic Leap are all part of the steering committee. Microsoft also announced that it was ending production of its Azure Kinect Developer Kit.

Friend: Interesting. What are the implications of this news?

Me: Well, it suggests that Microsoft is still investing in the development of its Mixed Reality Toolkit, and that they have the support of other major industry players like Qualcomm and Magic Leap. It could also mean that more developers will be able to create MRTK-based apps, and that the endpoints supported will be more varied. Finally, it could mean that the Azure Kinect Developer Kit will become more widely available since Microsoft has licensed its depth-sensing technology to its partner ecosystem.

Action items

• Sign up for the Windows Intelligence newsletter to get a free copy of Paul Thurrott’s Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides.
• Download the Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 and experiment with creating mixed reality apps.
• Follow the development of the Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 on GitHub and join the steering committee to influence the feature roadmap.

Technical terms

Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK)

An open-source software development kit (SDK) that developers can use to create mixed reality apps.

Qualcomm

A global semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company.

Magic Leap

A technology company that develops augmented reality (AR) hardware and software.

GitHub

A web-based hosting service for version control using Git.

HoloLens

A pair of augmented reality smartglasses developed and manufactured by Microsoft.

Azure Kinect Developer Kit

A developer-focused camera that features the same depth camera module as Microsoft’s HoloLens headset.

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