Virtual Reality Plans Scrapped For Xbox

Microsoft has confirmed it won’t be bringing virtual or ‘mixed’ reality to the Xbox One range. It says PCs are the best place for such technology.

The confirmation has been awaited for two years ever since Microsoft first announced the Xbox One X in 2016, at that point referring to it as Project Scorpio. At the announcement, a Microsoft spokesmen referred to “high fidelity VR” as being among the features. Then in March 2017, when announcing a range of Windows 10 ‘mixed reality’ headsets, Microsoft said they’d be on the new console in 2018.

However, when it unveiled the Xbox One X name this time last year, any mention of virtual or mixed reality had disappeared. A few months later Microsoft clarified it was “absolutely” on the way.

Now the company’s marketing chief Mike Nichols has told gamesindustry.biz that “We don’t have any plans specific to Xbox consoles in virtual reality or mixed reality. Our perspective on it has been and continues to be that the PC is probably the best platform for more immersive VR and MR. “

Nichols referenced the open nature of PC platforms and the fact that independent firms are investing in both hardware and software for virtual reality. He added that the emphasis for the Xbox is now solidly on the experience of gaming on a TV screen.