Phil Spencer spoke to the Wall Street Journal at a Tech Live Event (thanks to VGC for transcribing). There he was asked about VR, specifically if he saw it as a “differentiator” between what Microsoft is doing with Xbox and Sony is doing with the PlayStation brand. He said that he applauded what Sony, and others, were doing in that space but said that as of now Microsoft doesn’t have plans to enter into VR, saying they want to focus on more traditional hardware and software to build community with consumers.

“We’re big believers in that software platform and the devices that will enable that. Absolutely. [But] 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.

“I think the devices that are out there now, we stay connected with a lot of the players that are out there. [With] people building hardware, a lot of that happens on Windows and we experiment and talk to a lot of the partners that are there.

“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.”

Spencer has gone back and forth on VR, at times seeming to dismiss the idea completely and others saying that he hopes the technology will eventually become mainstream enough to be viable. As it stands now, however, I wouldn’t really expect a VR headset for any of your Xbox consoles anytime soon.

It was last year when we got the surprising horror game from Bloober Team, Blair Witch. The game was set in the same canon as the horror franchise that essentially invented the found footage genre. It released originally on Xbox One and PC, and then trickled to other platforms, and was a solid enough game. Now, though, it’s coming to a new platform with some big changes.

The game will be getting a VR title just in time for Halloween, called the Oculus Quest Edition, but it seems to be more than a simple port with tacked on VR. Bloober says that the story has been rebuilt with extended interactions and that environments have been redesigned with VR in mind, which you can see a little of in the trailer below. It’s not clear as of yet the extent of these redesigns, but it could warrant a revisit even if you have played the game already.

Blair Witch, in its original non-VR form, is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. The Oculus Quest Edition will launch on October 29th.

When it comes to VR, some of the biggest hurdles has always been price and the cumbersome technology that can be more trouble than it’s worth. While we’re still a good way away from high end headsets being affordable for many and with less wires, one option has been the Oculus Quest, with its relatively reasonable price point and completely wireless application. And now, an even smaller version is on the way.

According to sources close to Bloomsberg, a new version of the Quest is in the works. It will be lighter than the current version of the headset, which is already incredible light at only 1.25 pounds. It won’t just be the size and lightness however, the refresh rate will be higher than the current 72 Hz, being tested with screens supporting 120 Hz. Though it’s unclear what the final rate will be.

The updated version of the Quest was slated to come later this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting production lines it could slip into 2021.

L.A. Noire was always something of an odd project to come out of Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. The game was a pseudo-open world title, somewhere between a detective visual novel and an action shooter. It never felt like it had a solid grip on its identity, but it seems to have struck a chord with someone, as it has continued coming back in some form or another. One way was the VR-focused spinoff, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files. Now, those who have the original PC release get a bit of a treat.

The game got a late port to the PS4 and PS VR, which included some additional content. It was nothing major- some mini-games that are new, like shooting galleries, boxing, and speedcar racing. But the newest update will add that to the PC version. You can check out the full patch notes below.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is available now for PlayStation 4 and PC. You can also check out the original L.A. Noire title in remastered form on most major platforms.

PATCH NOTES:

• Three new VR minigame experiences including new Shooting Galleries, Boxing and Speedcar Racing
• Improved support for the Valve Index, Vive Pro, Vive Pro Eye, Vive Cosmos and Oculus Rift S VR hardware
• Various bug fixes and improvements

For many younger games, you may only know of Valve as being the primary company behind the Steam storefront that has become somewhat of a de facto standard for PC gaming. But there was once upon a time they were a full time game developer, creating some of the best and most influential games the industry ever saw. One of those franchises was the legendary Half-Life series, and now it’s back.

As officially revealed via Valve’s Twitter account, which you can see below, Half-Life: Alyx will be the next installment in the long dormant franchise. Alyx is described as a “flagship” VR title. Interestingly, the teaser comes with three logos. It feels like it can’t be a coincidence considering the legendary status of Half-Life 3. Could Half-Life: Alyx be more than just a spin-off focused on supporting character Alyx Vance? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Half-Life: Alyx will have its official unveiling Thursday November 21st at 10 am PST. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time.

Can’t wait to share it with all of you! pic.twitter.com/BupFCxSrTw

— Valve (@valvesoftware) November 18, 2019

The existence, or lack of, of Half-Life 3 has become somewhat of a meme. We’ve been waiting for a continuation of the legendary franchise ever since the cliffhanger ending of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. But Valve has evolved into a storefront manager and has largely gotten away from game creation outside a few new projects here and there. Well, the rumor is that Half-Life will be back, though maybe not in a way you expect.

According to an allegedly leaked transcript of an interview between Geoff Keighley, Robin Walker and an unnamed third individual, Half-Life: Alyx will be announced soon. It will also be shown in some capacity at The Game Awards 2019. While there’s not a lot of details in this transcript, it is confirmed this will be a VR title and presumably will in some way focus on supporting character Alyx Vance.

The transcript allegedly came from a source known for leaking previous Valve projects. The original author of the Google Docs containing the information was upset that the information got out (with PC Gamer originally breaking the news) saying that it could mean a delay for the announcement or game in general, but it’s out there now with no way to put that genie back in the bottle. As always with any kind of leak, we file this one under speculation, especially since a new Half-Life has been on the prank list for over a decade now. Only time will tell, so stay tuned.

While Virtual Reality may not have taken off like many hoped and expected, it’s slowly itching its way to carving its own niche thanks to extended efforts from companies like Sony and Oculus. Augmented Reality hasn’t been quite as hyped up, but we’re still seeing it carve out its own little niche as well with the likes of Minecraft Earth and Pokemon GO. Now it seems that Apple wants to combine the two with a new project.

According to Bloomberg, the new headset will combine elements of VR and AR. While gaming won’t be the only focus for the device, since it will also have capabilities for watching videos and having virtual meetings, that would be one of the biggest uses for it. Apparently, the company had hoped to have the technology ready by this year, but it has been pushed back internally.

While it’s definitely interesting to think what such a device would be like, it seems it could be a decent while before we see it. Right now Apple isn’t planning to launch it until 2021 or 2022, meaning it could be two years before we could potentially see whatever this is.

Earlier we got the announcement that Medal of Honor would be revived after a long dormancy for the shooter franchise. It’s coming from Respawn Entertainment as an exclusive to the Oculus Rift as a VR based title. But it wasn’t always like this, apparently the developer has been wanting to bring back the series for awhile and Above and Beyond wasn’t always envisioned as playable via a headset.

In an interview with Ladbible, Director Peter Hirschmann talked about the development of the game. He revealed that Respawn has had their eye on reviving the WWII shooter for a long time. They were at the stage of “conceptualizing the narrative, the structure, and all that” of Above and Beyond when Facebook (the owner of Oculus) reached out about getting a major game from the studio, therefore seguing the title into being a major VR title.

Being a VR title may or may not help the game’s chances of success, since the series has tried many times to be reinvented without it ever sticking over the years. But it will help it stand out somewhat since there’s not exactly a crowded market at the time for major AAA shooters in the VR space. Hopefully, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond can be the game to finally elevate the franchise when it releases sometime next year for the Oculus Rift.

After a very bumpy road, one chapter of The Walking Dead video game franchise came to a close as the Telltale saga closed the book on Clementine’s story. But another chapter is about to open next year with a new game from Skybound games, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners.

The game was announced with a trailer, which you can see below. It’s a first person title where you must explore, craft and battle against the legion of undead, where you have to make key decisions relating to warring factions. The game has a VR focus, and as of now there was no announcement about a non-VR version of the title.

The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners will release for compatible VR devices on PC January 23 2020. Worth noting, this does not seem to be related to The Walking Dead: Onslaught, another first person VR project based on the property that was announced earlier in the year.

Virtual Reality is still very much a budding medium that’s still finding its footing. While Sony’s PlayStation VR has set the biggest foot forward, no doubt, the Oculus Quest has been quite a boon as well. It’s not only the cheapest high end VR option out there, it’s entirely wireless. Even though its specs are somewhat on the lower end due to that, it still feels like the future knocking on our door. And next year it will feel even more so as the Quest will get hand-tracking.

Oculus announced today that the Quest will get a free update at some point next year that will include new hands-tracking technology. That means that you can actually play the quest with no controller or other peripherals. How much that will be utilized by developers remains to be seen, but it is quite the leap forward just to use that ability.

The Oculus Quest is available now. The update that will add the hands-tracking tech is slated to go live sometime in 2020.