14 DAY TRIAL // Phil Spencer, the executive who is leading the Microsoft Studios entity and deals with the Xbox One, has suggested that the next-gen console will not get a virtual reality solution any time soon, despite the fact that the technology itself is interesting and cool to see in action.
He believes that at the moment only the hardcore gamers are interested in the Oculus Rift, which is offered on the PC, and the newly announced Project Morpheus for the PlayStation 4, and that a bigger audience is required to make VR a success.
Spencer explains to GamesIndustry.biz that, “The big hump will be in the middle, or even closer to the casual side in terms of real usage, but I think the technology is really interesting and it’s definitely something we’ve been playing with for quite a while.”
This probably means that Microsoft is ready to sit back and watch how other devices are adopted by gamers and how they are used by development teams before the company is ready to make a decision on its own approach for the concept.
Phil Spencer adds that virtual reality is a cool piece of technology and believes that his company has a long history of innovating with forward-looking ideas once they prove they are worth pursuing.
He adds, “One of the things we have is this huge Microsoft research organisation that is important to us as platform holders in helping us think what might came next. That’s where Kinect came from, it’s where voice recognition came from, it’s where Drivatar came from.”
Rumors that surfaced before the Game Developers Conference suggested that Microsoft was working on a virtual reality solution that was based around the version of the Kinect motion tracking system that is part of the Xbox One package.
The company might make an official announcement later during the year.
At the moment, the Oculus Rift is the most advanced virtual reality solution on the market and the company has recently announced that a second version of its development kit, with improved technology, is being created.
A consumer version of the headset is also expected to be officially launched later in the year.
Meanwhile, Sony says that Project Morpheus is at the moment just a prototype and that the team working on it is still trying to find the best way to integrate it with the PlayStation 4, while working with developers on the final specifications.