Virtual reality is a burgeoning pocket of our industry, but clearly, it’s one that holds a lot of potential. Sony has been making strides with PSVR, and it goes without saying that that is an area they will continue to focus on by the time the PS5 rolls around. What about Microsoft though? In spite of them expanding their horizons in streaming and subscription services, VR is one area that they have been roundly ignoring, and many feel that that is what they will continue to do.
Pablo Lafora of Tessara Studios, the developers of the PSVR horror title Intruders: Hide and Seek, is among those people. We reported recently on how he feels Microsoft seem to have no interest in VR, and following up on that, Lafora says that though he is unsure about Microsoft, he feels confident that Sony knows that “VR/AR is the future”, and that as such, VR will be something they will focus on even more with their next console.
“PSVR is an add-on and PS Move is 9 years old already. It worked great and it doesn’t seem like they had it planned from the beginning. Sony knows VR/AR is the future, so I think VR will have a much more important role in PS5,” Lafora told GamingBolt when asked about whether he thought VR could be a defining feature of next generation consoles. “We think the console has been designed with VR in mind from the very beginning, so it probably won’t be an add-on anymore, though that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a VR gadget exclusively. So yes, VR will be very important in PS5.”
PlayStation boss Shawn Layden recently spoke about the growth of PSVR, and how he foresees even greater growth for it in the coming years, which is something that Sony themselves will be looking to play a role in. Read more on that through here. Meanwhile, if reports are to be believed, Nintendo, too, might be looking into adding a VR option for the Switch.
Intruders: Hide and Seek is out now on PS4. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for our full interview with Lafora.
