Microsoft and its take on the metaverse

The Future. As we covered earlier this month, Microsoft’s billion-dollar acquisition of Activision was its biggest deal ever. Now, with the game studio giant under its belt, Microsoft appears to be setting its sights on the metaverse, challenging Meta. Combining its gaming prowess with its productivity expertise… Microsoft just might be the top contender.

Into the Microverse

Microsoft seems well-poised to enter the metaverse.

• With Xbox, Bethesda Softworks, and now Activision in its portfolio, Microsoft is a gaming powerhouse, arming it with the technical abilities to build mixed reality.
• Microsoft Teams is already integrated into many work environments, whcih might make Mesh, its mixed-reality meeting software, easier to adopt than Meta’s Horizon Workrooms.

Not so Meta

Meta seems determined to rule the metaverse. Microsoft, on the other hand, is taking a more gradual approach, integrating aspects of the metaverse slowly throughout its products.

CEO Satya Nadella describes, for example, his vision for 3D meetings: “Teams is going to have Mesh meetings, so these immersive meetings which will start on 2D screens whether it’s PCs or phones, and then lead up to immersive experiences where you’ll wear your AR or VR goggles.”