Microsoft is discussing VR and might launch VR hardware with Xbox Games Studios

Bernoulli

Bernoulli

M2 slut
Internal Documents from the CMA findings show that MS was disccussing since july 2022 VR with Xbox studios and Cloud
it could work well with gamepass

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there are also new patents of VR hardware being made by microsoft

gamerant.com

Microsoft Could be Working on its Own VR Device

A new patent filed by Microsoft reveals that the company could be working on its own virtual reality technology to compete with the Sony PS VR2.
gamerant.com gamerant.com
 
Can't they just allow an existing VR headset like the Oculus Rift work on the Xbox or something instead? That being said I would like to see a VR headset for the Xbox though. Would be great for games like Forza.
 
35cent said:
Can't they just allow an existing VR headset like the Oculus Rift work on the Xbox or something instead? That being said I would like to see a VR headset for the Xbox though. Would be great for games like Forza.
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with flight simulator it would sell well
 
Bethesda already have knowlege of VR, with the beginning of Oculus, right? They should make a team and continue from were they were left. Doom studio ID could make a great exclusive for them, if they do believe in this. But I can see that go the same way as their Holo lens efforts. Nowhere because they don't really believe in it yet.
 
35cent said:
Can't they just allow an existing VR headset like the Oculus Rift work on the Xbox or something instead? That being said I would like to see a VR headset for the Xbox though. Would be great for games like Forza.
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It's not the matter of MS allowing it, it's the matter of VR headset manufacturers allowing it.
Hardware is sold at a loss or small profit, and they would get nothing from people buying games for the headset on Xbox store. MS would get its cut, the publisher would get its cut, the manufacturer would get zilch.
 
I'm just looking forward to the sudden positive PR for VR. Would make for a change with some fans.

Ar¢tos said:
It's not the matter of MS allowing it, it's the matter of VR headset manufacturers allowing it.
Hardware is sold at a loss or small profit, and they would get nothing from people buying games for the headset on Xbox store. MS would get its cut, the publisher would get its cut, the manufacturer would get zilch.
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Doesn't Meta already do this with PC stores and PC support?
The fact that the email names are redacted leads me to believe this could also possibly be a third party discussing opportunities with MS.
 
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Daneel Elijah said:
Bethesda already have knowlege of VR, with the beginning of Oculus, right? They should make a team and continue from were they were left. Doom studio ID could make a great exclusive for them, if they do believe in this. But I can see that go the same way as their Holo lens efforts. Nowhere because they don't really believe in it yet.
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Yeah there's an abundance of both hardware and software VR knowledge in everything Microsoft, especially via WMR, they never stopped working and collaborating with other players in the scene. They've f.ex. coworked on other brand's VR hardware, f.ex. HP's brilliant Reverb G2 4K VR headset which is a MS, Valve and HP collaboration. Another good example is that one of the best VR experiences in the market right now can be found in Microsoft's Flight Simulator. There's nothing else quite like it, it's a tour de force in VR.

The main reason MS hasn't released VR hardware for Xbox is because it's infamously a highly volatile VR market right now with little to no money in it. And with the pace technology goes headsets could be outdated before the consoles themselves are.. But what MS and everyone else knows is that VR will have its mainstream gold rush with plenty of money to go around, they just doesn't know exactly when that's gonna happen.

A sidenote: When it comes to Hololens it was alway a conceptual AR PR device meant to target R&D in businesses first and foremost (I know because we had two of them in our own lab at work), I can guarantee that no one in MS expected a 4000 dollar flawed AR device to become popular among gamers. They put it in gaming conferences to make a buzz surrounding their brands, to make it seem that they are very much still in it when it comes to AR/VR (which is true) .
 
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Never gonna happen, between the dire VR market situation and the PC competition there's no point.

At best they would make a compatibility layer with another VR headset but that's it.
Ar¢tos said:
It's not the matter of MS allowing it, it's the matter of VR headset manufacturers allowing it.
Hardware is sold at a loss or small profit, and they would get nothing from people buying games for the headset on Xbox store. MS would get its cut, the publisher would get its cut, the manufacturer would get zilch.
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You can already use any VR headset with PC GP for games which allow VR (Star Wars Squadron for example), used my Rift S to play it.
 
Daneel Elijah said:
Bethesda already have knowlege of VR, with the beginning of Oculus, right? They should make a team and continue from were they were left. Doom studio ID could make a great exclusive for them, if they do believe in this. But I can see that go the same way as their Holo lens efforts. Nowhere because they don't really believe in it yet.
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They didn't have anything to do with VR.

Carmack did.
 
MOTM said:
Please don't .. Sony is already failing in that space. Just let it die like 3D TV or whatever that other fad was.
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with Apple joining in the next months it can change
and microsoft don't want to be left behind when apple does it
 
Microsoft just shattered the entire AR/MR/VR division and axed branded accessories division.

And now they will release a VR headset because why? C'mon! It's a bunch of echoes of a former ambitions. Xbox Series doesn't even equipped with a VR-capable USB-C port.
 
I honestly don't see why MS doesn't make current PC headsets compatible, I mean how hard is it to enable seeing as the entire Xbox OS is pretty much a windows build, offer a few Devs a sweet deal to port games and let the market decide.

One of the reasons I like Sony so much is they really are game focused and offering unique experiences, sure the PSVR2 isn't selling banger numbers but it's hard to sell an expensive add-on to the masses if they've never experienced VR but Sony stuck with it and give us the option and boy am I glad they did as VR is a game changer and MS have far bigger pockets so they can take a punt and offer Xbox fans that same option without the huge costs involved in developing their own headset
 
baphomet said:
They didn't have anything to do with VR.

Carmack did.
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Doom VR was not made by one person. Just that before he left he has a team with him that helped him work on it, or I have this impression at least. Bethesda was taken by Microsoft not long ago after. I hope that they took the initiative of letting them work on the subject. A few people can do a lot in emergent market like that one. I know that the chances are small.
 
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Microsoft just shattered the entire AR/MR/VR division and axed branded accessories division.
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That's not entirely accurate, the accessories divisions lives on through the Surface brand. When it comes to AR, WMR and Hololens, that was more in context of the failed Metaverse where Zuckerberg made everyone scale up in fear of losing out, but then led everyone to walk off the cliff. It was clear that many actors in the scene needed a restructuring after having scaled up on nothing but air. That doesn't mean there's no "VR" left in MS.
 
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nemiroff said:
lives on through the Surface brand.
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Unlike Microsoft mice, keyboards and webcams, Surface brand is geographically limited to US and a few EU countries.

I can see some sort of MS-backed headset by HP/HTC, but for Xbox? Hardware was designed to neglect that option from the start. No HDMI over USB-C on XSX and no USB-C on Series S. Both consoles can't run wireless VR too because they are not Wi-Fi 6, etc.
 
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Unlike Microsoft mice, keyboards and webcams, Surface brand is geographically limited to US and a few EU countries.

I can see some sort of MS-backed headset by HP/HTC, but for Xbox? Hardware was designed to neglect that option from the start. No HDMI over USB-C on XSX and no USB-C on Series S. Both consoles can't run wireless VR too because they are not Wi-Fi 6, etc.
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Specifically on Series X no, I agree it's way too late for that. Even PSVR2 is already outdated in my mind, in just a couple of years this may be seen as an unfortunate timing for Sony. So MS going in now, I don't think that's realistic at all. They are of course working on something for the next generation (next gen console, next gen VR, who knows..), to be prepared to not be left out of a possible klondike.

Another side note: When it comes to HP, ironically their VR funding ran out of money, they are now unfortunately officially out of the VR scene. They're not going to be the only ones out if nothing starts to move. So I think there's a lot of anticipation riding on Apple now.. Almost as if some are expecting them to decide the future.
 
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The irony is that they have the most IP that is well suited to VR out of any publisher out there.

People saying "no" or words to that effect don't realise how transformative something like Forza Horizon in VR would be. Starfield in VR? Yes please.

If they are finally pulling their finger out and working on something here then it would be more than welcome as far as I'm concerned.
 
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If any company has advantage in this space, it's MS.
Their content is suitable for VR.

From zenimax to their studios, their content is begging for a VR content.
 
GHG said:
The irony is that they have the most IP that is well suited to VR out of any publisher out there.

People saying "no" or words to that effect don't realise how transformative something like Forza Horizon in VR would be. Starfield in VR? Yes please.

If they are finally pulling their finger out and working on something here then it would be more than welcome as far as I'm concerned.
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Flight simulator VR would be dope too.
 
XBOX needs to get their first party quality and output straight first a foremost. Pushing into another sector entirely while their platform is tracking lower than the debacle that was the XB1 gen at this point seems like amateur hour at the ceo level.
 
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GHG said:
It is dope. It's only available on PC though and it's quite heavy to run so I don't see the current crop of consoles being capable, especially not the Series S.
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I mean even a flat MSFS is 30fps locked on XSX. Flight sims are very tough on hardware, yeah. I won't even sure that PS VR2-style FoV rendering would solve much, because MSFS is very CPU-heavy and most of the resources are dedicated to simulations, not rendering.
 
Gamepass VR would be nice, I've stopped buying the Quest mini games but if I get them on a sub I'll gladly play them.

But another headset?
I just want to use my Quest 2/3/4/5
 
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Microsoft just shattered the entire AR/MR/VR division and axed branded accessories division.

And now they will release a VR headset because why? C'mon! It's a bunch of echoes of a former ambitions. Xbox Series doesn't even equipped with a VR-capable USB-C port.
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They can make an external box like PSVR1. Might need something to help get it running on series s anyway
 
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Unlike Microsoft mice, keyboards and webcams, Surface brand is geographically limited to US and a few EU countries.

I can see some sort of MS-backed headset by HP/HTC, but for Xbox? Hardware was designed to neglect that option from the start. No HDMI over USB-C on XSX and no USB-C on Series S. Both consoles can't run wireless VR too because they are not Wi-Fi 6, etc.
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Hmm, I don't have wifi 6 or USB-C on my PC and can do wired and wireless VR fine. I don't think any existing PC headset requires either of them.
 
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poppabk said:
Hmm, I don't have wifi 6 or USB-C on my PC and can do wired and wireless VR fine.
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Because yor PC is using dedicated hardware to compress special data feed which is basically a realtime video stream of your current screen. That will be a no-go for consoles and even on PC, with CPU-heavy games output quality via Oculus Link (both wired and wireless) usually degrades.

On consoles you need to have all avaliable resouces for VR to work properly. That's why PSVR 2, for example, is wired and carries direct display oputput without resorting to video encoding via the data stream. Also part of the reason why PSVR 2 wire is so thin and light.
 
mrmustard said:
Makes the Game Pass more attractive, makes Xbox more attractive to Pico 4 or/and Quest and whatever owners of standalone devices. Doesn't cost MS millions for developing an own VR device.
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I'm sure an increase in price for most subscribers of Gamepass who don't have VR would disagree with your assessment. If someone is willing to pay for higher end accessories like VR, why would MS harm themselves with not maximising VR software sales.

Also if they untether VR games from the Series S then maybe they have a shot at working with VR. Otherwise why buy VR games on MS with a Series S quality as they could just buy the same quality on their own wireless headset?
 
Dick Jones said:
I'm sure an increase in price for most subscribers of Gamepass who don't have VR would disagree with your assessment. If someone is willing to pay for higher end accessories like VR, why would MS harm themselves with not maximising VR software sales.
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They could do it by adding a higher VR tier but then I'm not sure how many would subscribe considering the amount of xbox users badmouthing VR. Probably wouldn't be successful.
 
Three said:
They could do it by adding a higher VR tier but then I'm not sure how many would subscribe considering the amount of xbox users badmouthing VR. Probably wouldn't be successful.
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That's why I don't think including VR in Gamepass would be smart. Having the odd game in there or another tier might work if you have enough users to begin with that subsequently fell off on sales.
 
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