Microsoft Pulls Out of VR for Xbox
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): TrendBT
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/06/20
According to The Verge, the large technology and computer corporation, Microsoft, has retracted its plans for virtual reality headsets for the Xbox.
Mike Nichols, the Microsoft chief marketing officer of gaming, stated, “We don’t have any plans specific to Xbox consoles in virtual reality or mixed reality.” He argues that the PC is the best platform for the VR and mixed reality platforms.
This, some argue, amounts to a slow-down of the VR world and technology advancement of Microsoft. Others may fill the gap.
The article reported, “In 2016, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that the upcoming Project Scorpio console would support ‘high-end VR’ like that available on Windows PCs. Since Microsoft had previously partnered with Oculus to support Xbox controllers on the Oculus Rift, there was widespread speculation that Scorpio might work with the Rift as well.”
This did not occur. Furthermore, one year after that. The corporation decided to roll out an entire line of VR headsets within a few months, at the time. Then the mixed reality announcement came out. But then the at the 2018 E3, Spencer became less excited about it.
“He told Road to VR that although he was ‘long-term bullish’ on VR, it wasn’t ready to come to Xbox yet, and the market was ‘years away.’ Now, Nichols is barely even expressing interest in the platform,” the article said.
There was too much excitement and too early on for the VR possibilities for the Xbox given the market for Microsoft. But Sony through the PlayStation is moving forward to develop its own headset. The article concluded, “Microsoft is still trying to shore up the Xbox One’s shaky position, though, in part because it overemphasized selling the Kinect motion controller early on. It’s not surprising to see the company’s Xbox VR plans slip away — especially since it’s largely focusing on business uses for its mixed reality headsets.”
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