As per some executives, Microsoft is gearing up to update its flagship operating system in order accommodate augmented and virtual reality support in its latest generation of Windows 10 devices and software.
The fourth software upgrade of the company will start rolling out to its existing customers on and from October 17. Currently, more than 500 million devices run on Windows 10, said Microsoft.
"We're enabling you to immerse yourself in a new reality - mixed reality," Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president in charge for Windows, said during a speech at the IFA 2017 in Berlin.
Microsoft uses the term mixed reality in order to describe the software, which includes augmented reality as well as virtual reality, reported Channel News Asia. Augmented reality or AR overlays text or graphics on real-life objects, whereas, virtual reality, simulates the real world.
All these multimedia contents can be viewed on computers, TV displays, smartphones, tablets or dedicated virtual reality goggles. The features, which will come along with Microsoft's next Windows 10 update, will be first aimed at advanced video game players using VR headsets, and then business applications will follow suit.
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With this new update, users will be able to set up their VR headsets just in 10 minutes, which, currently, is a laborious task and takes up to two to three hours. This is Microsoft's step towards making these technologies more mainstream, said company officials.
Initially, the tech giant used to launch updates in every three years for the disk-based versions of its operating system software. Now, the company releases feature updates for its operating system roughly in every six months.
At the IFA 2017, the company has also announced a range of devices from key hardware partners, which are ready to take advantage of mixed reality features in the Windows 10 update. It will be available by mid-October from vendors including Lenovo, HP Inc, Dell, Acer, Asus and Fujitsu.
You can watch Microsoft's keynote at IFA 2017 here.
