A lot of VR and Xbox fans were disappointed yesterday when Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed categorically that there were no plans to have the upcoming Xbox Scarlett support VR (we have come a long way from the days when VR was used as one of the selling points in the unveil of the then-still-called Scorpio).
Spencer’s justification appears to be sound: that there isn’t much market demand for something like VR, and that as an isolating experience, it’s antithetical to what Microsoft goes for with its games. Put simply, VR is not a focus for Microsoft right now (though that could change) because customers are apparently not asking for it.
It was that last bit that Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida, now leading their indie outreach program, seemingly responded to on Twitter, out of the blue. While he didn’t tag Spencer or Xbox – that would have been really something, if he had – he just randomly tweeted, with no provocation, that “sometimes we work hard to make things no customers are asking for.”
Of course, Sony has a vested interest in the future of the VR market, given the PlayStation VR, with almost 5 million units sold, is actually the market leader right now of that admittedly negligible segment. So it makes sense for Yoshida to make that remark.
I just don’t expect it to change Spencer’s mind.
（´-`）.｡oO（we oftentimes work hard to make things that no customers are asking for them）
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 26, 2019
