Microsoft throws in the towel on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest!

Microsoft HoloLens 2 production has been discontinued. The company plans to withdraw from the mixed reality headset market.

Microsoft has announced that it has discontinued the HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset, which it launched in 2019. This decision signals a change in the company's strategy in the augmented reality space.

Microsoft has discontinued HoloLens 2 production

The HoloLens 2 offered significant improvements over the first model, such as a wider viewing angle and improved hand tracking. However, the screen quality and viewing angle fell behind its newer competitors. In recent years, companies such as Magic Leap, Varjo, Apple and Meta have released AR/VR hybrid headsets. This has reduced the power of the HoloLens 2 in the market it dominated.

Microsoft announced that the HoloLens 2 will now only receive security and bug fix updates until the end of 2027, and all software support will end in early 2028. The support period for the first HoloLens will also end.

The discontinuation of the HoloLens 2 comes amid ongoing changes at Microsoft’s mixed reality division. Longtime leader Alex Kipman left the company last year. The AR/VR division has also been facing layoffs for several years.

Reports also claimed that the HoloLens 3 was canceled due to strategic uncertainty. It’s safe to say that the HoloLens family is officially over. Microsoft’s future in the augmented reality space also remains uncertain.

Apple recently entered the market with its Vision Pro, while Meta continues to offer affordable alternatives with models like the Quest 3S.