AR + VR = Microsoft’s mixed reality.

Although HoloLens will eventually get a few siblings, most of them will however not come from the Microsoft stable.

In a strategic move, Microsoft announced the opening up of its Windows Holographic platform to third parties, at Computex today. Now third party vendors will be free to create their own augmented reality devices.

Yup! That’s right. HoloLens wont be jut another device that provides you AR experiences, it will provide a full-blown virtual reality hardware. Microsoft has appropriately named this mix, of AR and VR, a “mixed reality.”

This move isn’t surprising at all, since historically this is Microsoft’s signature move, that of opening up its platforms to other companies. On a different note, this mix also showcases the versatility of HoloLens.

If you are jumping to snag one, as per Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive vice president of its Windows and Devices Group, a consumer equivalent of the HoloLens “may come from us, or it may come from a partner, and either way that’s fantastic”.

Comparing HoloLens to Surface, Myerson said the concept could be the basis for inspiration for other companies to create similar devices. Although the Surface has had a rough start, but right now just about every other PC manufacturer wants part of the action.

So as to give a fuller understanding of what HoloLens devices could possibly look like, Microsoft played a short video at the Computex keynote. In the demo, a young designer used a HoloLens headset to design an event in virtual reality. She managed to not only reach out to colleagues remotely, with one using HTC Vive and another using a HoloLens headset, but the trio managed to collaborate on the project in real time. They even had a friendly AI helper, like a Chinese version of Cortana, helping them around in the virtual world.

When asked how the HTC Vive was running its HoloLens, Myerson in a carefully worded reply answered, “we’re working directly with HTC” on a product based on Windows Holographic. He did not share any further details on the subject, in any manner.

For its Windows Holographic platform, Microsoft has partnered with a host of companies including, Intel, Dell, AMD, Lenovo, Qualcomm, ASUS, Acer, MSI,

Falcon Northwest, HP, and others.