Was Microsoft right to drop it's VR plans for Xbox in hindsight?

Was Microsoft right to abandon VR for Xbox back in 2017?

  • Yes

    Votes: 287 67.8%

  • No

    Votes: 136 32.2%
  • Total voters
    423
Mister Wolf said:
Yes. VR is a gimmick and I say this as someone who has owned two VR headsets.
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Same, bought a Rift and Rift S, had fun with both but eventually the novelty of it fades and you stop using it.

I believe there's a future for portable standalone headsets once they become light enough but that's it.
remember_spinal said:
all the people saying they were right to drop it would be bouncing up and down if they announced a VR set tommorrow. I'd almost say they have more suitable games for VR than playstation does.

Flight Simulator, Starfield, Forza, all the shooters, etc. Its a shame really becuase bethesda was making a lot of headway in VR. This is what happens when a platform holder buys a big publisher though
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You can offer VR support on PC without pouring billions of R&D money into a proprietary VR device that will never sell more than 10M.
 
DarkMage619 said:
100% correct. VR has and will remain niche and the market for traditional games is many times larger. Focus on Game pass and growing the Xbox ecosystem. I'm glad MS isn't distracted.
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Agreed. They're so focused on Gamepass they forgot to actually release any games from their studios this year.
 
remember_spinal said:
all the people saying they were right to drop it would be bouncing up and down if they announced a VR set tommorrow. I'd almost say they have more suitable games for VR than playstation does.

Flight Simulator, Starfield, Forza, all the shooters, etc. Its a shame really becuase bethesda was making a lot of headway in VR. This is what happens when a platform holder buys a big publisher though
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Not I but that's because VR games give me severe motion sickness. I'm not saying that there isn't an audience for VR games on xbox, but I still think it would have been a distraction. It's something MS can go back and revisit once they get all their other ducks in a row.
 
Chukhopops said:
Same, bought a Rift and Rift S, had fun with both but eventually the novelty of it fades and you stop using it.

I believe there's a future for portable standalone headsets once they become light enough but that's it.

You can offer VR support on PC without pouring billions of R&D money into a proprietary VR device that will never sell more than 10M.
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If any company should have no problem doing it it should be microsoft, right?
 
remember_spinal said:
all the people saying they were right to drop it would be bouncing up and down if they announced a VR set tommorrow. I'd almost say they have more suitable games for VR than playstation does.

Flight Simulator, Starfield, Forza, all the shooters, etc. Its a shame really becuase bethesda was making a lot of headway in VR. This is what happens when a platform holder buys a big publisher though
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Yep, most of all Tom. It's bizarre to me that a feature not being delivered and canned midway is being celebrated as a good thing with forsight. An undelivered feature!

https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/1...mixed-reality-headsets-2018/comment/417882495

I really don't get it but I suspect it's because they don't have it now so this idea that something else would be worse by adding VR is now engraved in peoples heads by a few people repeating it over and over since it was canned.

Sure it's not as mainstream as TV gaming but the idea that it's somehow a good thing is the strangest spin of the highest magnitude. Their games support VR on PC already, it's not a 'distraction' to them. Could you imagine somebody saying 1440p 120hz monitors are too niche for a console and so they are glad there is no 'distraction' with support? Truly bizzare. Hell don't even support it and rely on other devs to make multiplatform ones like they seem to be doing for regular games. You don't need to be distracted at all with VR even though your own first party devs seem to already be distracted with VR anyway but just on PC/PS.
 
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remember_spinal said:
If any company should have no problem doing it it should be microsoft, right?
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Sure they could, but it makes more sense to just rebrand a headset from Lenovo / HTC / Samsung that will also work on PC.

The elephant in the room is that interest in VR is actually slightly lower now than it was 5 years ago if you look at Google trends for example. It might come back at some point but right now it would be a waste.
 
metaverse said:
Agreed. They're so focused on Gamepass they forgot to actually release any games from their studios this year.
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Grounded version 1 launches this week. Hot wheels Forza DLC hit a few months ago and Pentiment hits in November. That doesn't include any of the numerous 3rd party titles day one that hit Game pass this year. I think Xbox will be ok but your concern is noted.

Deputy Moonman said:
Not I but that's because VR games give me severe motion sickness. I'm not saying that there isn't an audience for VR games on xbox, but I still think it would have been a distraction. It's something MS can go back and revisit once they get all their other ducks in a row.
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You only need to look at the adoption rate of similar VR headsets on other platforms that had bigger install bases than Xbox. I don't believe it even hit Kinect level of sales.
 
Of course
VR will be niche for several next years. PSVR had literally pathetic attach rate (120 million PS4 vs. 4 million PSVR) and I don't think PSVR2 would be way better in that regard. Especially when people are already expecting 499$ price tag on PSVR2. Sony would try to support it first-party wise and then they will drop support as usual.

And the "worst" thing about it all is that if you want to support your VR headset first-party wise, you are sacrificing devs who should be making "classic" game. Like now parts of Guerrilla and Firesprite are making taht Horizon VR game.
So do I want Microsoft VR headset and studios like The Coalition or inXile or Obsidian making VR games? Hell no.
Maybe allow support for third-party VR sets like Valve Index or Meta Quest 2
 
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They were wrong to do so.

Being one of the biggest companies on the planet, Microsoft should have been leading the charge and growing a new medium. Instead, it is left to smaller companies like Sony and HTC to evolve and innovate the gaming industry.
 
Yes the market is too small, right decision. And they can support a headset like like the quest pretty easily whenever they want. Going into handheld hybrid would make more sense than VR, even for Sony.
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
Microsoft has much bigger problems to address with their first party. I am doubtful they'd be able to adequately support a VR platform. So from their perspective, it probably makes sense. You only have so many resources, and when you go years without major exclusives despite huge buying sprees you can't really manage to effectively support that platform.

I am just glad that we have someone like Sony that can step in and provide a superb platform with a multitude of support by some of their smaller devs and partners.
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I'd love to know what dirt you have on the mods here lol.
 
Here we go again with the gimmick bullshit. People really have no idea what depth perception means I guess.

That said, financially it's definitely the safer bet to not join in on VR so far.
 
dvdvideo said:
Yes the market is too small, right decision. And they can support a headset like like the quest pretty easily whenever they want. Going into handheld hybrid would make more sense than VR, even for Sony.
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So why not do it now? What's good about having no VR support right now in Minecraft and No Mans Sky if you're on xbox?
 
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Three said:
Yep, most of all Tom. It's bizarre to me that a feature not being delivered and canned midway is being celebrated as a good thing with forsight. An undelivered feature!

https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/1...mixed-reality-headsets-2018/comment/417882495

I really don't get it but I suspect it's because they don't have it now so this idea that something else would be worse by adding VR is now engraved in peoples heads by a few people repeating it over and over since it was canned.

Sure it's not as mainstream as TV gaming but the idea that it's somehow a good thing is the strangest spin of the highest magnitude. Their games support VR on PC already, it's not a 'distraction' to them. Could you imagine somebody saying 1440p 120hz monitors are too niche for a console and so they are glad there is no 'distraction' with support? Truly bizzare. Hell don't even support it and rely on other devs to make multiplatform ones like they seem to be doing for regular games. You don't need to be distracted at all with VR even though your own first party devs seem to already be distracted with VR anyway but just on PC/PS.
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How many times have you honestly seen a Xbox fan, on here or elsewhere, post something like 'Damn i wish Micosoft would bring out a VR headset already!?.

For whatever reason MS arent interested in VR. And if they ever change their mind, i'm sure they will just license one or more PC headset. maybe even buy one of them outright.
 
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This thread:

People with xbox say yes
People without xbox say no

As expected.

I actually like VR in small doses but I would rather MS focus on other things. When they start rolling out games on regular basis, they will probably turn their attention to it.
 
Stuart360 said:
How many times have you honestly seen a Xbox fan, on here or elsewhere, post something like 'Damn i wish Micosoft would bring out a VR headset already!?.

For whatever reason MS arent interested in VR. And if they ever change their mind, i'm sure they will just license one or more PC headset. maybe even buy one of them outright.
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I remember a lot of glee and excitement when hololens was shown at E3. I saw that glee slowly change over time to become "a distraction to regular games" when it's not. The time that it was obvious nothing materialised.

They aren't interested because they don't see it as worth it for the audience size. I'm not sure why that narrative is being changed into a positive though. A positive for regular games too somehow.
 
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Three said:
I remember a lot of glee and excitement when hololens was shown at E3. I saw that glee slowly change over time to become "a distraction to regular games" when it's not. The time that it was obvious nothing materialised.

They aren't interested because they don't see it as worth it for the audience size. I'm not sure why that narrative is being changed into a positive though. A positive for regular games too somehow.
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Because regular gamers just want regular games.
Something Microsoft has been struggling with getting out at a consistent pace.
Granted, covid has effected their 2022 plans & if it wasn't for that 2022 would've been a decent follow up to 2021.
Now 2023 is looking a little crowded, what I'm not complaining about, as it's nice to have stuff to play early 2023.
 
Three said:
I remember a lot of glee and excitement when hololens was shown at E3. I saw that glee slowly change over time to become "a distraction to regular games" when it's not. The time that it was obvious nothing materialised.

They aren't interested because they don't see it as worth it for the audience size. I'm not sure why that narrative is being changed into a positive though. A positive for regular games too somehow.
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There was some insider a while ago, that was saying that Microsoft are waiting it out to see which headset really take off, and if/when they come 'mainstream'. An insider i know but i wouldnt be surprised if there is some truth to it.
Maybe its something they will seriously consider with Xbox 5, who knows.

Also audience size lol, just had to get a console war dig in right?. I think 80mil, which i believe the Series consoles will hit, should be more than enough.
 
anthony2690 said:
Because regular gamers just want regular games.
Something Microsoft has been struggling with getting out at a consistent pace.
Granted, covid has effected their 2022 plans & if it wasn't for that 2022 would've been a decent follow up to 2021.
Now 2023 is looking a little crowded, what I'm not complaining about, as it's nice to have stuff to play early 2023.
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But regular games would not suffer with system VR support. Not only are there separate VR games that don't distract from your regular game but even your current regular games like Flight sim, Minecraft, NMS etc are getting VR support on other platforms and the regular versions are none the worse for it.
 
Stuart360 said:
There was some insider a while ago, that was saying that Microsoft are waiting it out to see which headset really take off, and if/when they come 'mainstream'. An insider i know but i wouldnt be surprised if there is some truth to it.
Maybe its something they will seriously consider with Xbox 5, who knows.

Also audience size lol, just had to get a console war dig in right?. I think 80mil, which i believe the Series consoles will hit, should be more than enough.
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It's not a console war dig. Penello said it himself. What do you think the difference is between audience size and "mainstream" anyway? Bloody hell.
 
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Of course...vr is an absolute failure in my opinion. It's gonna continue to stay niche as well. Psvr 5 million units with an over 100 million ps4 sold is pathetic. Fb numbers aren't that great either. Even Kinect outsold both easily and it's dead now... My prediction is psvr2 will sell less than the first. Its doa in my eyes
 
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Yes definitely the right thing to do. vr won't succeed for a long time and with how long games take to develop now, it makes no sense to direct resources to it. It's great for indie devs etc and half life alyx is incredible but I don't think it will succeed for years.

It needs to be cable free, plus either cheap or a really good standalone unit.
 
Three said:
But regular games would not suffer with system VR support. Not only are there separate VR games that don't distract from your regular game but even your current regular games like Flight sim, Minecraft, NMS etc are getting VR support on other platforms and the regular versions are none the worse for it.
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I think if they add vr support, they should just let you use any headset like on pc (assuming you can use any headset for any game on pc)

But I personally have zero interest in vr after trying it out, I just think big screen, relaxing and controller in my hand is a lot better experience.
 
DenchDeckard said:
Yes definitely the right thing to do. vr won't succeed for a long time and with how long games take to develop now, it makes no sense to direct resources to it. It's great for indie devs etc and half life alyx is incredible but I don't think it will succeed for years.

It needs to be cable free, plus either cheap or a really good standalone unit.
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I still think VR wont become mainstream until VR headsets look like this =

61k-mR7cdIL._AC_SX679_.jpg


Which is what?, 10-20 years away at least?. And even then, people moan about having to wear 3D glasses at movies, so even a headset like that may not become mainstream.
 
Anyone voting 'yes' clearly hates the gaming medium. I mean, to even come out with 'I want MS to focus on games' is almost offensive at this point. Even if MS didn't want to develop VR games, they could just rely on 3rd-party devs to fill up the catalogue.
 
Some people seems to be unable to differentiate between Xbox console and Microsoft's long time involvement in VR (and of course AR) via PCVR. Many of their PC games already support VR. They are also active in VR and AR hardware development like the WMR HP Reverb G2 headset, and not the least via implementing and promoting the OpenXR API.

Anyway, on-topic: I think they was right. The Xbox console VR market is tiny, for now they can just continue to focus on PC VR/AR, and when the Xbox console market is ready they can pretty much just unlock VR hardware and software support for existing PC VR headsets even without releasing their own hardware if they so wish. It probably won't happen this generation though.
 
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Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

remember_spinal said:
all the people saying they were right to drop it would be bouncing up and down if they announced a VR set tommorrow.
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How does that work? I wouldn't buy PSVR or PSVR 2 even if they were £50. I just have no interest whatsoever in the delivery method.

Waste of resources.
 
Of course they were right.
VR "for Xbox" makes as little sense as VR "for Playstation" or VR "for PC".
Who wants to be on a leash while wearing the headset? Standalone devices like Quest are the way to go.
 
01011001 said:
I still think it would be a pretty good idea to make a deal with Meta and bring the Quest 2 and maybe 3 down the line to the system.

it could work both wirelessly through Wifi and by using a USB cable.

the hardware is already on the market, it already has millions of customers and it's plug and play
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Tbh this was the road I thought they would take especially when oculus were including Xbox controllers with their headsets and then xcloud coming to Facebook.
 
Goalus said:
Who wants to be on a leash while wearing the headset?
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For console I agree. But on PCVR I do. I have no interest in standing VR, but I would like my MSFS to be processed via a beefy GPU to not look like shit.

fermcr said:
VR is a gimmick. End of story.
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The facts doesn't support your wishful claim. VR is still here and it hasn't vanished, on the contrary the volume has been increasing.
 
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Markio128 said:
Kinect was a gimmick
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Yeah the Kinect was a gimmick by definition by taking an unmistakable nosedive early in it's lifespan - just like 3DTVs. VR is still here years after the Oculus Rift DK1, and just the Quest alone sold 15 million recently.
 
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Three said:
So why not do it now? What's good about having no VR support right now in Minecraft and No Mans Sky if you're on xbox?
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They could, but they have decided to focus on regular gaming at least for now. Also a very large chunk of gamers who really want vr already own a vr device, be it psvr, pc or quest. Some of them will buy psvr2, some quest pro, might not leave a lot left. Where as a series S power level hybrid portable could sell 20 million units in its lifespan, even more if they can make them cheap enough.
 
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No. VR makes more money than subscription services, but we're told subscription services aren't a fad but VR is?

From a business pov its stupid because if and when the next big thing(cod, fortnite etc) lands of VR, only Sony (in the console space) have a headset. Microsoft will have to either buy a company or beg for third party xbox support.

Although personally I don't think the XSX is configured correctly to see the level of fidelity we will see with the psvr2. The console was designed designed VR whereas the XSX, and certainly xss, were not.

Microsoft have to pray that PSVR2 doesn't take off big time.
 
I think Microsoft did the right thing. I have PSVR which I like but also underwhelmed at the same time. there isn't enough focus on VR gaming outside of add ons and experiences. if there are more hard core games come out for it then yeah get involved
 
Frank Horrigan said:
No. VR makes more money than subscription services, but we're told subscription services aren't a fad but VR is?

From a business pov its stupid because if and when the next big thing(cod, fortnite etc) lands of VR, only Sony (in the console space) have a headset. Microsoft will have to either buy a company or beg for third party xbox support.

Although personally I don't think the XSX is configured correctly to see the level of fidelity we will see with the psvr2. The console was designed designed VR whereas the XSX, and certainly xss, were not.

Microsoft have to pray that PSVR2 doesn't take off big time.
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so Sony are making more money out of VR than Microsoft do in Gamepass?
 
VR is like the Mega CD for me, it promised so much and when used it was an amazing experience. Just not enough good games and poor support from the major studios
 
phil_t98 said:
so Sony are making more money out of VR than Microsoft do in Gamepass?
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They will be when PsVr2 launches.

Posters here are playing dumb with with the psvr figures. It was launched on a console that this site and the gaming media said would never exist, that if the ps4 did exist it would be weaker and more expensive than the xbone. None of that was true.

The psvr was a dev kit, a test, to see if Sony could create vr games and software. I'm surprised it sold 6 million. It was basically a vita strapped to your face with move controllers and a ps eye toy. But it wasn't about sales, it was about experience. And while Sony were on their arse financially they took a huge gamble on vr.

Come March 2023 Sony will launch a headset, using a console designed for VR. This isn't going to be just another headset, it's years in the making.

So yeah, Sony will make more money than gamepass, because Sony and Nintendo are making more money than gamespass right now.

Come next year, any VR title ported to consoles will be 100% exclusive to a Sony platform. That as a business decision by Microsoft is simply dumb. Though it fits right in with the current state of xbox
 
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