Microsoft today announced the opening of its Mixed Reality Capture Studios and a ‘Mixed Reality Academy’ in the company’s San Francisco Reactor dev space.

Microsoft has a number of Reactors, or physical spaces that are open and free of charge to host technical events like hack-a-thons and meet ups; available across five spaces in four different locations—San Francisco, New York, London, and two locations in Redmond, WA. The San Francisco location, located at 680 Folsom in SOMA, will play host the flagship Mixed Reality Capture Studio and the company’s first Mixed Reality Academy.

Microsoft’s first MR capture studio in Redmond has recorded thousands of performances and turned them into ‘holograms’ over the course of its 7 years of existence, capturing the likes Buzz Aldrin, George Takei, Reggie Watts, and Max Frost to name a few.

The ultimate goal with Mixed Reality Studios, says Microsoft, is “to make high-quality holographic captures accessible for mixed reality creators everywhere.”

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The company is also licensing their MR capture studio, with the first licensed location opening in London in partnership with Hammerhead and Digital Catapult. Microsoft expects to license its MR capture studios in other major markets worldwide.

The Mixed Reality Academy aims to provide an opportunity for developers to get their hands on code, tutorials and lessons. Alex Kipman, chief inventor of HoloLens, says the MR Academy “serves as a community hub for creators to come together, collaborate, learn, and help us fuel this new era of computing – the era of mixed reality.”

To learn more, visit Microsoft Academy for upcoming events.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Mac

    Nice to see companies investing in next level live action capture technologies so we can go beyond 360 video. This kind of capture is what’s needed to create truly immersive VR films.

  • Wow!