VR has taken significant steps forward over the last few years, thanks in large part to standout releases such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Half-Life: Alyx. And though VR tech essentially still remains niche as far as mass market appeal is concerned, it’s encouraging to see that major developers and publishers in the industry are continuing to invest in it.
In the console space, however, Microsoft haven’t really bothered with the VR space. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said in the past that he hopes to see VR grow to the point where Microsoft can no longer ignore it– but that, for now, there isn’t much of an audience on Xbox for VR.
Many believe that it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft begins to invest in VR tech. Speaking recently in an interview with Virtuos’ managing director of games Christophe Gandon, we asked him about his thoughts on the topic.
Gandon said that Microsoft efforts with Hololens are probably indicative of their current plans for VR and AR, before adding that though Xbox hasn’t made the jump to VR, he “wouldn’t rule it out for the future.”
“I think that VR and AR technology has a huge amount of potential applications outside of video games, and that’s where Microsoft seem to be focusing their efforts currently with the Hololens,” Gandon said. “As this tech rapidly evolves, it’s not surprising to see different companies exploring different applications for it, and while VR gaming hasn’t found a home on Xbox yet, I wouldn’t rule it out in the future. As long as companies are continuing to develop the technology and push the boundaries of what it can do, we are all benefiting from that.”
In the same interview, Gandon also spoke to us about the PS5’s 3D audio engine and how he thinks developers will be making use of it in next-gen games. Read more on that through here.
Our full interview with Gandon will be going live soon, so stay tuned for that.
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