ARM Snapdragon Processors Running Windows 10 Is a Good Sign for Mixed Reality

At the WinHEC Shenzen 2016 Keynote, Microsoft showed off a system running Windows 10 smoothly on an ARM processor. This could be great news for developers of mixed reality software.

Now, if you do not quite understand why this is good for Windows Holographic and mixed reality, it is because ARM processors are primarily used in mobile devices. Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are often used in tablets and smartphones. They are highly efficient CPUs, using far less battery power, and producing less heat than their x64 and x86 counterparts.

"This is a commitment to bring mobility into Windows," Cristiano Amon, head of Qualcomm's chip business, told Bloomberg. And mobility is exactly what's needed for the HoloLens and other mixed reality headsets running Windows.

Take a look:

Not to get too deep into the whys and hows, but ARM processors (Acorn RISC Machines) are based on the RISC processor architecture, which is very different than what we know with X64 and X86 based processors. Historically ARM processors have not been able to run the mainstream OSes without major modifications.

The video Microsoft released shows off this Qualcomm processor and Windows 10, and covers gaming, Photoshop image processing, video, and even Word. All of the processes seem to run smoothly. Impressive.

This is a very promising development for people committing to the Windows Holographic ecosystem for mixed reality. This will lead to a larger variety of mixed reality devices running Windows and further establish Windows Holographic as the go-to system.