Microsoft's mysterious new trademark hints at holographic gaming

With just under three days left until Microsoft's big E3 2017 presentation, the company has filed for a mysterious trademark that could possibly change up its gaming repertoire.

Microsoft has applied for a trademark patent for what it calls "Direct Reality," which is described as "computer software for holographic applications," according to GameSpot.

Though "holographic applications" could apply to just about anything related to augmented reality, the application specifically covers gaming software — possibly mean some kind of gaming-styled take on the software powering Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset.

Xbox AR?

Given the proximity to Xbox's big Project Scorpio reveal next week, it's also possible Direct Reality refers to some kind of technology on the upcoming mystery console.

While we know Project Scorpio will be getting VR support of some kind down the road, it's possible that Direct Reality could refer to some kind of AR equivalent — possibly even HoloLens support.

However, this is all just us speculating and it's worth pointing out that Microsoft's trademark application is not a guaranteed confirmation of any big announcement just yet.

That said, we look forward to learning more about what will be in store for Xbox when Microsoft holds its E3 presentation this Sunday, June 11, at 2pm PST/5pm EST/12am GMT on Mixer, Microsoft's reinvigorated video streaming service.