The company wants to compete with Project Morpheus for the PlayStation 4

Mar 31, 2014 07:37 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft seems to be getting ready to add new augmented reality capabilities to the Xbox One in the near future after it has purchased a number of new patents from the Osterhout Design Group, although the company is not yet ready to offer any details on its plans.

TotalXbox reports that the company has spent between 100 and 150 million dollars (76 to 132 million Euro) for six patents that have already been accepted and for another 75 that are in progress, all of them linked to augmented reality glasses.

Ralph Osterhout, the leader of the company, has confirmed the purchase, but has refused to offer any sort of details or say if his team will continue to develop the technology for Microsoft.

The augmented reality concept will allow a user to use a pair of glasses, which are equipped with a processor, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, inertial measurement sensors and dual 3D High Definition displays.

The device can be used to project images in the visual field of the wearer in order to create a new type of experience that blends reality and virtual assets.

Microsoft has been rumored to be working on augmented reality tech for a while and many fans expected the technology to be integrated in the new next-gen Xbox One home console.

The company has not said exactly how it might use the concept or if there are plans to create entire video games based on it.

Microsoft might be interested in using augmented reality to enhance the way users interact with the Xbox One, as it has previously done using the Kinect motion tracking system.

An official announcement might come during E3 2014.

The Microsoft move might also be designed as a counter to the recent announcement that Sony was working on Project Morpheus, its new virtual reality headset that will be used with the PlayStation 4 home console.

The device was announced during the 2014 edition of the Game Developers Conference and a full launch for the public might take place before the end of the year.

A pair of augmented reality glasses might also be more interesting to the larger public than the virtual reality future that companies like Oculus Rift are working on.

The company was recently acquired by Facebook, which has plans to allow it to focus on gaming at the moment, but sees a lot of potential associated with virtual social interactions.