Platform Power
When Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion, many observers struggled to understand the logic of paying such a staggering sum for a messaging service that generated little revenue.
A patent filing by software giant Microsoft has revealed that the company is working on a wand-like controller for augmented reality (AR) and “HoloLens”.
On Tuesday, Microsof published a new patent that revealed the design for “an AR input device”.
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The wand-like controller looks like a cross between a motion controller and a pen, The Verge reported.
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Microsoft had originally filed the patent in June 2016 the same day when it published its Windows Mixed Reality vision video.
The software major has been planning to introduce a range of Mixed Reality headsets from partners such as HP, Asus, Dell, Lenovo and Acer.
Fuelled by Snapchat Lenses and Facebook Stories, AR is gaining fast traction in the US.
Facebook is also working on developing AR glasses that could blend digital objects with the physical world.
The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously shown photos of similar glasses, saying that they would be the future of AR, but he did not reveal that it was developing such a product.
The Facebook CEO has been of the opinion that AR will be the next big consumer tech platform after smartphones.
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