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Microsoft Has No Definite Plans on Incorporating VR into Xbox System

Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles on display. Image credit: dalvenjah (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr

Xbox players might need to wait a long time before they can get virtual reality support on their gaming consoles.

Over the past couple of years, more and more developers have been remastering their popular titles so they can be played in VR. This trend has also pushed many hardware manufacturers to develop VR gears and headsets that eventually did well in the market. Sony also launched the PSVR, which is supported by their current-generation console, the PS4.

Some might have thought that, in the near future, Microsoft will also pursue the VR market and incorporate the tech into the Xbox ecosystem. However, it turns out that it is not the case.

“We don't have any plans specific to Xbox consoles in virtual reality or mixed reality,” Xbox marketing chief Mike Nichols said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “Our perspective on it has been and continues to be that the PC is probably the best platform for more immersive VR and MR. As an open platform, it just allows faster, more rapid iteration.”

Nichols, on the other hand, recognizes that there is market growth for VR and AR development, especially on mobile devices for the latter. However, the company sees less potential in adopting it for the Xbox. “Our focus is primarily on experiences you would play on your TV, and ultimately we'd like to make those experiences more broadly,” Nichols added.

Meanwhile, CNET noted that the recent statement from Nichols is stirring a bit away from what Microsoft had in mind in the earlier days of Project Scorpio, or the development of the Xbox One X. This console, advertised as the most powerful one in the market, was originally meant to support high-end VR content.

And in another statement to the same publication, Microsoft reiterated that it does not have anything exciting to share about MR gaming on Xbox. The company said, “Because of the opportunity with Windows Mixed Reality, and because we believe the user experience will be best on PC right now, that is where our focus is.”

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