Microsoft's Windows Holographic Platform Now Open to Developers [VIDEO]

Jun 07, 2016 04:49 AM EDT

(Photo : Reuters) A Microsoft logo is seen on an office building in New York City.

Microsoft recently announced that its flagship Windows Holographic Platform is now open for all interested developers to use, allowing them to use the technology in apps for both the virtual reality and augmented reality platforms.

By making its technologies available to developers, Microsoft is also allowing third-party manufacturers to build their own virtual reality or augmented reality devices, which will be fully compatible with the latest Windows operating system.

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In a review by Engadget, it appears that the Windows Holographic Platform will work as a virtual reality and augmented reality API and will be embedded into the Windows 10 operating system. This will allow users of the API to have default Windows support for virtual reality and augmented reality hardware.

Currently, virtual reality software for both PC and mobile platforms rely solely on their respective developers. Not a single company has stepped up to be a guiding standard for the platform.

This is where the Windows Holographic Platform comes in. The open access makes it easier for hardware manufacturers to look for support for their own virtual reality headsets. By establishing a core platform, Windows is essentially creating an ecosystem so that both hardware and software developers have a standard to follow.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released the HoloLens developer's kit for $3,000. The price tag simply shows that Microsoft has no plans of making the HoloLens available to the masses, instead the company is trying to get more developers, studios, and hardware manufacturers to adopt its Windows Holographic Platform.

Many tech analysts agree that Microsoft's strategy is aimed towards a more long-term goal rather than immediately cashing in to the current trend of virtual reality like what many major tech giants are doing. It appears that Microsoft is biding its time by convincing more and more companies to join its platform.