Mixed Reality gets a new startup experience and Steam VR boot option

Since Windows 11 is officially here and everyone is patiently waiting for their turn at the full version of the operating system, we can now talk about some of the additions coming to it.

But did you also know that Mixed Reality for Windows 11 has also been released by Microsoft?

This update adds a new virtual home environment to the Places menu called the Infinite Expanse, a smaller and more performant home environment that utilizes fewer system resources during VR sessions.

Additionally, new settings options have been enabled, to allow you to jump directly into SteamVR when launching the Mixed Reality Portal.

Furthermore, you can control whether Mixed Reality Portal opens when your device is connected or when the presence sensor on your headset is engaged.

This was a totally expected move since Microsoft did tell us a few months ago that we were going to gain more control over this exciting VR world.

Prepare to explore the Infinite Expanse

Focusing on enhancement, the Infinite Expanse was designed to address long-standing customer requests for a less resource-intensive virtual home environment that allows users to get the best performance out of their games and experiences.

Redmond officials have announced the new virtual home environment for Windows Mixed Reality devices featuring a significant reduction in scope and size, streamlined down to singular stage instead of the more feature-rich Cliffhouse.

This new virtual home environment can be found in the Pins Panel within the Places menu.

New startup experience settings and SteamVR boot

As we mentioned above, Microsoft added some new settings that give you the ability to automatically launch SteamVR when WMR launches.

This, of course, will allow you to bypass WMR home space and jump directly into SteamVR.

The Redmond tech giant optimized the system for us to better configure our ideal startup experience by increasing your level of control over when Mixed Reality Portal launches.

You can now control whether or not Mixed Reality Portal launches when a device is connected or when the presence sensor is activated, as well as control how the virtual Desktop app opens.

This is excellent news for all the Windows VR users out there, who were expecting such an update for quite some time now.

And the fact that Microsoft decided to combine the release of the OS and the new version of Mixed Reality makes it all so much better.

However, we were recently discussing that various people are actually having trouble installing this software on their Windows 11 devices.

Then again, we were still talking about the Insider preview version of the operating system, so hopefully, these problems are behind us now.

Did you take the new version of Mixed Reality out for a test drive? Share your experience with us in the comments section below.