AltspaceVR

AltspaceVR
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseMay 2015; defunct as of March 10, 2023
Operating systemWindows 10, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive, Mac OS Beta
TypeVirtual reality community
Websitealtvr.com
Screen recording of AltspaceVR March 2023

AltspaceVR was a social VR platform that was founded in 2013 by Eric Romo[1] and launched its initial product in May 2015. In 2017 it was acquired by Microsoft[2] and became part of the Mixed Reality division (alongside notable products like HoloLens and HoloLens 2) within the Cloud and AI group. Some elements of the platform appear in Microsoft Mesh.[3]

The platform largely consisted of user-generated spaces called "worlds", which could be visited by other users. Individuals could gather, talk, collaborate, and be co-present in small to large groups.

The platform was regularly home to a wide variety of live virtual events from VR church[4] and LGBTQI+ meetups[5] to large business conferences and magic shows.[6]

In January 2023 it was announced on the AltspaceVR Homepage that the service would be shutting down on March 10, 2023.[7][8]

  1. ^ Gaudioso, John (20 May 2015). "This company created the first social platform for virtual reality". fortune.com.
  2. ^ Eadicicco, Lisa (3 October 2017). "Microsoft Just Bought a Virtual Reality Company to Challenge Facebook". Time.
  3. ^ "Microsoft Mesh feels like the virtual future of Microsoft Teams meetings". The Verge. 2 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Religion in the Digital Age". BBC. April 2020.
  5. ^ "AltspaceVR on Oculus Go". Oculus. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  6. ^ Harry, Baker (August 25, 2020). "'Magicians In VR' Event In AltspaceVR Will Feature Talks And Live Magic". UploadVR.
  7. ^ "AltspaceVR: Home". AltspaceVR. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  8. ^ AltspaceVR, Team (2023-01-20). "AltspaceVR to Sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023". AltspaceVR. Retrieved 2023-01-20.