Xbox praises Sony
Xbox's Phil Spencer spoke again about the console and the world of video games during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, and in addition to sharing details on the acquisition strategies of the development studios, he also had the opportunity to praise the efforts of Sony rivals. , Valve and Oculus in the field of Virtual Reality. However, it seems that Microsoft does not yet want to invest in first person in this type of technology.As Virtual Reality devices slowly progress their journey towards an increasingly standardized and widespread availability and use, Microsoft in these years it is one of the big companies in the video game sector that has never expressed interest in technology. While on the one hand we have Sony's PSVR, Oculus viewers in the hands of Facebook and Valve's HTC, Microsoft consoles have not implemented similar technological solutions and it seems that the road to Xbox VR is still a long way off. walk.
Xbox's Phil Spencer, during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, said the following: “We are much more focused on the software side right now. When I think of immersive worlds and think of the connection of a player and the community, this is something that is very high on our investment list. […] I applaud what Sony is doing, I applaud what Oculus is doing, what Valve has done. I mean, there are a lot of good players out there who have done an amazing VR job. But yes, we're going to stay as a company right now in the software-focused consumer space, and I think that's a good bet. "
PSVR Phil Spencer in 2019 made negative comments on VR, defining Virtual Reality as "isolating" and distant from a community vision of video games, but over time the opinion towards this technology has softened. Despite everything, it seems that the arrival of Virtual Reality on Xbox is still a long way off.
The Oculus Quest 2 is available on Amazon from this link.
Xbox Praises PlayStation VR, Oculus, And Valve But Has No Plans For Its Own VR System
Microsoft believes the metaverse is coming, and that mixed reality and virtual reality will play a part in getting there, but the Xbox company isn't preparing to get involved in making VR hardware like competitor Sony does with PlayStation VR or Oculus or Valve. Microsoft is instead focused on producing software.
Speaking at a WSJ Tech Live event this week, as reported by VGC, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft believes new levels of immersion in experiences can be achieved through things like mixed reality, virtual reality, or even the metaverse. But Microsoft doesn't plan to make any hardware or devices itself, instead opting to focus on the software.
'We're focused a lot more on the software side of that right now. When I think about immersive worlds and I think about the connection of a player and community, that's something that's very high on our investment list,' Spencer said.
Spencer said he applauds Sony, Oculus, and Valve for what these companies have been able to achieve in the VR space.
'I think that the hardware innovation that's happening is great and it's an important enabler, [but] right now I'm deciding to stay more in the software side of that enablement. I believe it will scale better in the long run,' he said. 'And you know, I applaud what Sony's doing, I applaud what Oculus is doing, what Valve has done. I mean, there's a lot of good players out there that have done some amazing VR work.'
In the end, Spencer said he thinks Microsoft is making a 'good bet' by focusing on software instead of hardware when it comes to VR.
In 2019, Spencer made headlines when he said Microsoft releases products that it consumers want, and 'nobody's asking for VR.' Spencer said at the time that he has a number of issues with VR as a platform, beginning with the fact that he sees it as an 'isolating' technology that separates people instead of bringing them together. Virtual reality technology may one day explode in popularity, but for now, it is a niche market, Spencer said, so the company doesn't plan to focus on it.
In a thread on Twitter, NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said he thinks Spencer has made an astute observation about VR. He added that the revenue from VR games spending so far has amounted to a 'rounding error of [a] rounding error.'
The data suggest that Phil Spencer is spot on with his assessment of VR gaming. Perhaps someday this market can develop, but it's been years and the overwhelming majority of games consumers just don't care. Rounding error of rounding error for games spending, tiny niche.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 26, 2019It's cool tech... VR gaming pushes boundaries and can provide experiences no other platform can. But it also has severe limitations when it comes to pricing, play pattern and play environment most will never be able to adopt into their lifestyles. Definition of permanent niche.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 26, 2019Of all the possibilities for gaming's future, the market opportunities are in breaking down barriers for players, making it easier for people to play and to connect with others. VR, by it's very nature, doesn't work that way. VR can be a successful niche, but a small one.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 26, 2019Hundreds of millions have been invested into the VR gaming market... thinking of the opportunity costs, what all those people could have made with all that investment, and all the money those products could have made... makes my money loving heart hurt.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 26, 2019In 2018, it was reported that Microsoft worked on an Xbox VR headset to compete with PlayStation VR, but the proposal never went anywhere.