Microsoft might be building its own Vision Pro rival

By Willow Roberts Published August 7, 2024

Posts on X are popping up reporting that Microsoft has signed a development and supply contract with Samsung Display for micro-OLED displays.

The information originates from a Korean tech site, The Elec, which claims that Microsoft wants “hundreds of thousands” of these displays for an XR device designed for gaming and media consumption. In other words, a competitor for the Vision Pro — or rather, another competitor for the Vision Pro.

Microsoft just signed a development AND SUPPLY contract with Samsung Display for Micro-OLED displays at the level of “hundreds of thousands”

“Microsoft is creating new Mixed Reality devices to consume media/games rather than explore the Metaverse”

AKA: an Apple Vision Pro rival pic.twitter.com/scJsCXvmVI

— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) August 7, 2024

Sony, Samsung, Google, and Meta are all working on Vision Pro rivals in partnership with each other and other companies like LG and Qualcomm, and now it looks like we can add Microsoft to the list as well. The company is no stranger to headsets, having made both VR gaming headsets in the past and the work-enhancing AR headset HoloLens.

Whether the HoloLens 3 project is still alive and well is uncertain, though Microsoft definitely hasn’t officially canceled the project (yet). Either way, not much has been happening on the XR front at Microsoft for some time, so the prospect of a new device is welcome news.

The Korean report, citing industry sources, said the Microsoft XR device could arrive as early as 2026. This seems pretty quick, especially considering that Sony’s and Google’s devices don’t have any launch dates yet, and Meta’s headset isn’t expected until 2027.

Despite the Vision Pro’s rocky launch and numerous critics, it seems to have done its most important job — to kick-start a new wave of XR devices. With any luck, we should see continued improvements and innovations in this area for some time.