Microsoft & Intel Team Up to Bring Windows Holographic Experience To You in 2017

Microsoft has been carefully laying the groundwork as the go-to vendor for augmented and virtual reality. First, they've been testing the HoloLens in environments as varied as underseas research stations and medical schools. They debuted Windows Holographic in June 2016, lining up a roster of hardware partners and promising a virtual reality environment that users can access and work within across all devices.

The Windows Holographic announcement listed hardware partners including Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, HTC, Acer, ASUS, CyberPowerPC, Dell, Falcon Northwest, HP, iBuyPower, Lenovo and MSI. And today, Microsoft announced the next component in their virtual reality portfolio. 

According to today's blog post by Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group:

Next year, we will be releasing an update to Windows 10, which will enable mainstream PCs to run the Windows Holographic shell and associated mixed reality and universal Windows applications. 

Intel will be working with Microsoft on a specification for mixed reality ready PCs and head mounted displays, with a target date of December 2016 for release at the Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) conference in Shenzhen.