The human arsenal might be expansive beyond all known limits, but it still hasn’t possessed anything more valuable than that tendency of ours to grow on a consistent basis. This is because the stated tendency has brought us some really huge milestones, with technology appearing as a rather unique member of the group. The reason why technology’s credentials are so anomalous is based on its skill-set, which was unprecedented enough to guide us towards a reality that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we dig a little deeper, it will become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired from the way we applied those skills across a real-world setting. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, and consequentially, kickstarted a tech revolution. Of course, this revolution then went on to scale up the human experience from every conceivable direction, but after reaching so far ahead, technology will somehow continue to bring the right goods without a stutter. Now, while the same has grown more and more evident in recent times, Microsoft’s latest decision does put that trend into little bit of a jeopardy.

Microsoft has officially decided to shut down its virtual social reality platform called Altspace VR, as it gears up to enhance focus on another product in Microsoft Mesh. To give you some context on why this is such a big blow for the VR industry, Altspace VR, which was launched back in 2015, was one of the first few companies to deliver social VR experiences. After getting some initial buzz, however, the company ran into major financial issues around 2017, a development that led it to be acquired by Microsoft, who was looking to build its own mixed reality presence at the time. It’s unclear what really changed Microsoft’s stance then, except available details do indicate that the recent layoff spree played a massive role in Altspace VR’s ultimate demise. This is further supported by a Window Central report, which claims the company had cut the entire team working for Altspace VR division. Apart from it, Microsoft also expelled all employees working on its open-source Mixed Reality toolkit.

Although Microsoft isn’t giving up on VR entirely, the up-and-coming Microsoft Mesh is set to have a somewhat unique focus. Designed to support immersive experiences, the initiative, rather than hosting events and social spaces like Altspace VR, will help companies that are looking to collaborate remotely.

“We look forward to what is to come, including our launch of Microsoft Mesh, a new platform for connection and collaboration, starting by enabling workplaces around the world,” AltspaceVR writes in its announcement. “In the near-term, we are focusing our VR efforts on workplace experiences, learning from and alongside our early customers and partners, and ensuring we deliver a foundation that enables security, trust and compliance. Over time, we hope to extend to consumer experience a[s] well.”

It surely looks like a significant pivot, but Microsoft isn’t the only company that has been impacted by those recent layoffs across the tech industry. The likes of Meta, Twitter, and others have also experienced a similar fate. Hence, with so many big players experiencing trouble in the paradise, it will be interesting to see whether there are any further ripple effects in store for our future innovation