The Garage is the Indian version of Microsoft Garage, a skunkworks division that allows Microsoft employees to collaborate on projects. Thanks to a new development, mixed and virtual reality environments could display advertising content like billboards. Essentially, the concept allows developers to integrate sponsored content in mixed reality. The Garage says this will be achieved through an easy-to-use SDK. App creators working in mixed and virtual reality could monetize their services through advertising. Speaking to ONMSFT, a Group Program Manager for Microsoft India’s R&D department said there are some things left to smooth before a release: “There are some things which are still getting implemented for a prototype and some aspects are primarily being experimented on or researched further to add new functionality.” However, the team does already have a demo prepared. The report says the demo showcased advertising running over a 3D Excel spreadsheet in Office 365. However, the presentation was more rooted in virtual reality than augmented or mixed reality.
Experimental
As you can see in the screenshot (main image), sponsored content sits on a 3D model in the virtual realm. Microsoft plots the graph in 3D, using one wall surface to hold the advertising. The Garage in India is eager to point out the project is very much in an experimental stage. As such, the company is non-committal on whether this technology will ever be released. However, a patent has been filed to protect the underlying software.
