Microsoft and the creator of 'Fortnite' have formed an alliance that could put a ton of pressure on Apple and Google (MSFT)

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• Microsoft has said that it will allow anybody to open an app store for its new HoloLens 2 headset.
• The plan has already won over a former critic: Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who once decried Microsoft's Windows 10 app store as a move to make the PC a closed platform like Apple's iOS.
• Epic, the creator of "Fortnite," has thrown around its considerable weight to put pressure on Apple and Google, and the 30% cut that they take from most app transactions. Now, Epic is pledging long-term support for HoloLens, citing this policy of openness as a reason why. 
• Together, the two stand to form an alliance that could promote more competition between app stores, and a rethinking of the economics of the app economy. 
• The move stands to benefit Microsoft, as well: It hasn't had much success with its own PC app stores, so taking a stand here could attract more developers to the Windows PC.

On Sunday, Microsoft announced the HoloLens 2 — the second iteration of its pioneering holographic headset, a $3,500 device that projects digital imagery over the real world, a form of augmented reality. 

As one might expect, the device was the centerpiece of Microsoft's keynote presentation at Mobile World Congress.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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See Also:

• Microsoft reveals the HoloLens 2, its new $3,500 holographic headset that seems to improve on the original in every way
• A group of Microsoft employees are demanding the company ditch a US Army contract that they say makes them 'war profiteers'
• Microsoft releases new apps that make augmented reality way more helpful to businesses

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