Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The End of AltspaceVR - What it Means for the Metaverse

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

In an almost forgotten corner of technology comes the news that "Microsoft announced it is shutting down AltspaceVR... one of the first social VR sites that let users meet and interact in a virtual environment." The usual lessons about single-owner platforms apply: "Users – especially those who built extensive environments in AltspaceVR – will face the arduous task of trying to replicate their work on another platform." The real challenge in this (or any) space is interoperability across platforms, and here the author expresses fears that this is a step backwards: "They also laid off the entire team behind MRTK, their open-source project to accelerate cross-platform MR development." Instead, Microsoft is focusing on something they call Mesh, "a new platform for connection and collaboration," and focusing on workplace experiences.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 28, 2024 12:16 p.m.

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