After Microsoft discontinued its Windows Mixed Reality platform last year, the company may be on the verge of reviving its consumer-focused mixed reality ambitions. Korean website The Elec (via Road to VR) reports that Microsoft has ordered "hundreds of thousands" of Samsung's micro-OLED displays for use in "next-generation mixed reality devices" that could be released as early as 2026. 

The report cited industry sources as saying that Microsoft's new mixed-reality headset is primarily intended to "enjoy or watch content such as games or movies, not virtual worlds." While Microsoft has scaled back its Metaverse ambitions in recent years, this year the company launched 3D meetings powered by Microsoft Mesh, which is currently available in the Teams desktop app and the Meta Quest VR headset.

Microsoft tried (and failed) to build its own VR ecosystem with Windows Mixed Reality, despite early support from hardware partners like Acer, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. Microsoft has never released its own affordable Windows Mixed Reality headset, instead choosing to focus its efforts on its enterprise-focused HoloLens product.

However, the software giant canceled the successor to the $3,499 HoloLens 2, which analysts said sold only about 300,000 units two years ago. In June, Microsoft announced that it remained committed to supporting HoloLens 2 and the Defense Department's IVAS program after laying off about 1,000 employees in its mixed reality team.

Meta currently dominates the VR and mixed reality headset market with its affordable Quest product. Meta Quest Headsess used 66.6 % of the stake in Steam VR games in July 2024. Earlier this year, Meta also announced that it will allow other companies to use their Meta Horizo ​​N us to create their own hybrid headphones. That's pretty much what Microsoft tried to do with its Windows Mixed Reality platform years ago, but Meta has managed to garner a lot of support from developers, delivering more than 500 immersive experiences across its line of headsets.

Another report from Windows Central's Zac Bowden provides more details on Microsoft's software plans for this next-generation mixed reality headset. "My sources say that future mixed reality headsets from Microsoft will likely be Android rather than Windows," Bowden reported, adding that Microsoft is exploring how to bring Windows to the headset through a cloud-based application.

"Microsoft is developing a solution that will allow mixed reality headsets to run all Windows desktop applications via the cloud," Bowden explained, according to sources familiar with the project. Codenamed "Williams Bay," the solution will allow users to host Windows desktop apps in their mixed reality space and interact with them as if they were running locally, similar to Apple's Vision Pro iPad apps. Williams Bay will also allow developers to "enhance" desktop Windows apps with 3D extensions that can be displayed alongside them in the headset's mixed reality 3D environment.

Microsoft's new mixed reality headset, which may use Android instead of Windows, is interesting because Google is already working with Samsung and Qualcomm to create a new platform for "augmented reality products." We still don't know when this new Android platform will be ready, but Google and its partners may have to adjust their plans after Meta announced its goals for an open mixed reality ecosystem in April. If Microsoft plans to use a cloud-based solution to offer Windows apps on its new headset, it could come with a hefty price tag. The enterprise Windows 365 solution can already stream a full Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC to any device with a web browser, while the enterprise-class solution starts at $31 each. user per month. Although Microsoft's "William Bay" solution can be different in a hybrid real environment, no one can still be interested in