As you may have already seen earlier today, Sony has formally announced the PlayStation VR2, the second version of the company's virtual reality headset — this time being designed specifically for PlayStation 5.
The PSVR2 includes features such as a 4K HDR OLED screen with a 110-degree viewing angle, eye-tracking, headset feedback via a rumble motor and much more, although it's still a wired headset rather than the wireless alternative found in the Oculus / Meta Quest 2, which is easily the most popular VR device on the market right now.
As for Xbox? There's no sign of a dedicated VR headset on the horizon, with boss Phil Spencer mentioning during WSJ Tech Live in October that the company was more interested in staying "in the consumer space focused on software":
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... But yeah, we’re gonna stay as a company right now in the consumer space focused on software, and I think that’s a good bet.”
There are still plans for Xbox to potentially do something with VR and AR in the future as part of Microsoft's "metaverse", with suggestions that some Xbox IPs could be turned into "full 3D worlds", but details are limited on this.
Interestingly, Phil Spencer did also highlight last summer that he felt the Oculus Quest 2 was the best example of a VR device right now, and hypothetically, if Xbox was to create a headset, he wouldn't want it to be a wired one.
It's best not to get our hopes up that Xbox is ever going to create a dedicated VR device, but plans can change and you never just know what the future has in store. So, with that said, how do you feel about it? Would you like to see Xbox enter the VR space with an exclusive headset, or would it be a bad idea for the brand moving forward?
Let us know your thoughts on VR down in the poll and comments below.
Comments 60
Really couldn’t care less about VR tbh. Had the original PSVR and all I got was a bad neck and tripped over wires lol. Not for me. I can see it’s good but it’s not what interests me. Leave Sony to their new unit which still has wires!
It really depends on the actual product as a VR headset could be a really cool add-on provided there's good software support for it.
The whole thing may turn out to be a bit of a fad in retrospect. Remember that the Xbox One included a Kinect camera, and they said it'd be an integral part of the Xbox experience, but really ignored it, and got rid of the Kinect port on the One S and X.
Not for me. There is nothing for me in gaming that beats laying on the couch with a controller (under a blanket even better if the weather allows)
Yes, it totally should ! I loved every second I had on my PSVR, and it was just the beginning of the tip of the shadow of the iceberg !
It really is the future, everyone should get on the train before it leaves.
Nope. I had a PSVR and as great as it seemed initially the feeling of novelty quickly wore off and I was left with an expensive bit of tech that gave me nothing but nausea. Also, I'm not sure about the long-term use and its impact on one's eyesight.
The best feature of the first gen PS VR was that I could play mature-themed games in privacy while my kids were in the same room (using the non VR "theater mode"), even though the resolution was poor. I'd definitely buy an Xbox VR headset if the same feature were available in 4K.
I don't think MS needs one themselves though I am a current PSVR owner and will of course get this revision in time. With the Oculus headsets gaining in popularity I wouldn't put it past them joining the space in the future but I think they're good now (though in sure they undoubtedly have some prototypes already)
Not really, Microsoft needs to focus on their 1st party game lineup. While the far future may have variety, the present and near future seems to still be heavily focused on the big trio of Halo, Gears and Forza (less so Gears given Gears 5 support ended last year).
I don't think it'd be a bad idea but for right now I'd like to see MS continue the momentum it has from 2021 and focus on the Series X/S bringing the Xbox brand back to what it was in the 360 days. After that, a year or two from now it can explore things like VR.
Nope not interested in VR at all.
I can't VR as it just makes me ill
They should partner up with a third party headset maker to enable vr support on the series consoles. Getting Half Life Alyx on Xbox would be a huge win.
I use the quest 2 to stream my Xbox to now ,just support for that would make me happy
I have no interest in VR. Its still way too expensive and uncomfortable to buy into with very few games to justify it.
PSVR was like putting butter in your eyes to play games and poorly supported. I honestly feel bad for anyone who bought into it.
I don't care about VR to be honest. For me personally, until they figure out a way to stop motion sickness I'll never be interested in VR.
Also, I don't think VR is the future of gaming anyway. I wish Sony would put all the effort and money etc in maybe another handheld or backwards compatibility instead.
I think Xbox will eventually get into the VR game, but not the same way as Sony. It would make much more sense for Xbox to leverage its cloud gaming infrastructure for that. Instead of releasing an expensive, heavy, clumsy headset with its own GPU in order to output cutting edge graphics, they would release a cheap, streamlined hardware ready for streaming VR games on Xbox Game Pass.
Sadly, I don't think VR will gain momentum anytime soon in the gaming industry. I think Microsoft should continue to invest more in games with cloud tech, i.e. games where the worlds are changing in real time. That's where the future of video games is in my opinion because it doesn't require buying an expensive peripheral and you can still play the games as you've always been doing. The major difference is that these games will offer a completely different experience.
No. I get motion sickness so.
I had the PlayStation VR and it was really good depending on the game, games that included a lot of fast camera movements such as RIGS messed with head though, I'd go days feeling light headed and sick lol
VR is very niche as such was the kinect and playstation move, but there is an audience there for it and it must be sizeable as otherwise Sony wouldn't bother and the specs of the VR 2 are pretty impressive that I might get one once they come down in price.
Though tbh I would rather sony make a ps vita 2 as surely there's a bigger demand for that.
I absolutely loved my PSVR, but unfortunately had to sell it as I came to terms with the fact that if I tried using it I'd have to block out a couple of hours afterwards to get over the subsequent motion sickness.
I'd say yes in the far future when its as easy as putting on glasses. VR will be a niche market for at least another decade.
It would be cool, but I definitely don't think it should be a priority. As cool as VR can be (emphasis on the "can") its still super niche and not that common out in the wild. Microsoft is doing just fine focusing on their 1st party output. Keep the focus there.
It's very interesting to see the huge difference in excitement of VR on Push Square's version of this article versus Pure Xbox.
Its a very obvious split that PS5 owners are excited with VR while Xbox owners are not.
Personally I was absolutely amazed by the PSVR but it certainly had its limitations which I will have fingers crossed will get fixed in PSVR2. But the experience itself can be so much better than standard gaming like with RE7 - playing in VR was far more terrifying and immersive than playing without.
I imagine opinion on Pure Xbox will probably change once MS buy out a competitor and start offering VR themselves.
Btw that reminds me - I thought MS already had an Augmented Reality thing in the pipeline. I'd much rather that from MS to give gamers an alternative option.
I'd really rather have some sort of handheld console instead.
Not particularly but the reason is that gaming is far too expensive as it is. Between £500 consoles and £500-1000 storage upgrades, adding another VR headset into that mix will make me more sick than putting one of the damn things on.
I will eventually get a PS5 and the PSVR2 but I am not looking forward to paying that much money for it really.
I think it would be wiser for Microsoft to partner with Oculus than to try to create their own VR. Imagine if the Quest 3 (which is supposedly coming out next year), had integrated XBox and Game Pass support. While I don't think cloud streaming is there yet enough to be able to stream to a VR headset and not be laggy, I stream Half Life Alyx wirelessly from my PC to my Quest 2 and it runs surprisingly smooth. I could see the Series X console streaming to the Quest 3 be a possibility.
@ralphdibny You might want to wait and see what the Quest 3 ends up being. The specs on the PSVR 2 are not much better than the Quest 2 sadly...
I feel kinect could've been as successful as psvr, if it remained an optional accessory. Kinect 2.0 could've had an AR/VR type headset, that illumi-room thing could've expanded, etc. But once ms started forcing people to buy it, with the underpowered xbo, it was downhill from there.
I fear I'd get sick. I get nauseous just wearing safety glasses at work. I'm fine with my 4k television, game pass, with my hue lighting system and headset for immersion. I still need to do chores and be aware of my surroundings with the cat and partner. I'd like to see them do stuff with AR which Microsoft is more transitioned into with the holo lense.
PSVR sold 5 million by last figures the vita sold more than that and they decided to get out of handhelds after that
@Trmn8r you already can stream to a quest 2 , sideload the game pass app ,sign in and done
It'd be cool if MS could push the technology forward; seems like it'd be easy to partner with Oculus to release one... I really enjoyed the PSVR, but had to sell it because of motion sickness. I hope the tech can advance to where this only affects a few people here & there. Hopefully Sony's PSVR2 has made enough improvements here, but I'll have to play it first extensively before I could buy...
No. I don't want anything strapped to my face to play video games. I will never go for that. I know a lot of people who feel the same, so I think Xbox is right to ignore VR.
I've done 3D. I've done motion controls. And I don't want VR.
The novelty always wears off. Once your eyes or body starts to fatigue, that's it.
And when I use my hobby as downtime and rest with my limited energy, the last thing I need to do is turn it in to something more draining. It's why I've avoided buying a VR kit for other hardware.
@Martsmall Right, but unofficially, and wonky cloud streaming. I was more talking direct console streaming within the same wifi network, which is surprisingly smooth when done with my PC through Airlink on Quest 2. Could also open doors to VR experiences on Xbox games vs 2D streaming.
I bought the PSVR for my PS4. For a month or so I was like “wow, this is amazing” as I revelled in some awesome 3D environments. After a few months I used them less and less as the novelty wore off. They are now in a box in the loft! So no, I’m not at all bothered with VR.
I absolute love my Oculus Rift.
If Microsoft gave us a VR headset for the series X that also worked on PC, I'd be all over it. At this point I'm actively looking for a new headset because I'm done with all the BS Facebook has done.
Unfortunately I see a lot of people taking about their first and only VR experience being PSVR, and that was absolute garbage. Poor optical tracking, too many wires. Awful screen, and low frame rate. All led to a bad VR experience.
@BClegg1 this for me could be an easy enabled win for Xbox and would be relatively hands off investment wise from their point of view , while still dipping a toe in the water
Psvr was fun for awhile but there wasnt that much support for it. Aside from a couple great games, they all feel short and cheap.
I'm not sure the psvr 2 will get much more support. How many people are they expecting to shell out 500 for ps5 and another 500 for a headset?
I doubt there's room for more than one VR headset. I'd like Microsoft to stay out, focus on home consoles and occasionally dip their toes in with an exclusive experience (like psychonauts).
I would prefer that the xbox connects to an oculus. Like an can connect an computer and play Steam VR on your oculus. Not having to purchase an additional device would be a plus for me. Just sell the vr software on the Xbox store and let me dive in.
As much as I like the idea I want to see MS step aside from the Holy Trinity and focus on some new and original IP's. Sony offer a lot for me in this space and although we have some of the established IP's coming which I'm looking forward to (Fable, Elder Scrolls) I want to see them step outside their comfort zone because I think they can bring a lot to the table with all the creative talent they have.
I know we have Starfield and Avowed coming which is great and I'm looking forward to to them but it would be good to see more. Once they've fattened up on new IP's then they could look at VR either teaming up with a third party or doing something on their own.
If Microsoft properly invested in VR for Xbox or did some sort of crossover with PC then I'm sure it could go places. I just really want it for Microsoft Flight Simulator!
Got myself a Quest 2 recently (Merry Christmas to me!) and am loving it. If MS opened up the Xbox to 3rd party headsets and developed some VR games using their IPs then I'd be well up for that.
Only if it's uses an existing system like the quest2.
I have a PSVR, only used it a couple of times, it usually gives me motion sickness to use it. Can't say I have ever been fired up about VR gaming anyways, the games are usually really simple or limited to a few concepts that actually work with it. It's all too involved to use as well, just too much gear to work with in order to play video games.
It's just so much easier to grab a controller and game on my TV.
I’d like to see a new kinect. And a sequel to child of eden. I can’t use VR so I’m indifferent to it.
Not at all, thank you...
Sony needs its niche for the PS and VR is it, I don't want that in Xbox and much prefer Xbox's much if Game Pass and other game services.
Nah, not for me.
Not interested but if there is a market for it on Xbox then i'd like to see them go down that route for those that are interested, it just wouldn't be for me that's all
Wow their are a ton of comments on this thread! Asacurrent Quest 2 owner I would love it if they did a partnership with Oculus anddeveloped a couple awesome games and also just made more 3rd party games available... If they had some sort of VR content available for Game Pass users... Boom! That would be a great way to bust into the scene with a user base happy to buy a Quest 2 asap!
I’d rather Microsoft/Xbox stick to what they do best and work on making Game Pass and Cloud gaming even better. I prefer gaming the traditional way on a big TV. If I want to game on VR I’ll just get myself the Oculus Quest 2.
I want xbox vr but I'd be okay even it being just third parties supporting it.
Thanks to Quest, PCVR, PSVR there is plenty of support out there now, this won't be like Kinect.
I have been waiting for vr since I played one of the first in Epcot Center when I was a kid. I almost bought a quest 2 a week ago, but didn’t because it won’t connect to my Xbox series x or any of my mac computers in a meaningful way. I have my fingers crossed MS is working on an Xbox set.
I have an oculus quest 2 that collects an amazing amount of dust, right next to my old PSVR. Turns out it wasn’t wires that bugged me, it was general indifference to the 90% Shovelware quality VR game ecosystem.
nah, ill just stick with PCVR
I've said before they don't need to take on the risk of making a headset themselves. Just enable support for third party headsets with inside out tracking.
I'd love to have a VR for Xbox since most of my library is on it, and Game Pass provides a great path to access the variety of bite sized VR content that always exists.
I'm one of the many that put my PSVR in storage long ago, but that's mostly because compelling content was pretty much killed off along with Vita, and because the camera was a PITA to set up and deal with, all of which is fixed in modern VR.
No. Microsoft are concentrating on their developers, games and services right now. There's still many problems to solve with VR. Let the others solve these and come in IF it's got the legs to last. Jury is still out whether it will ever be anything but niche.
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