Microsoft brings Oculus Rift to Xbox

[spenser.d]

Microsoft and Oculus are leaping into the future of virtual reality hand-in-hand. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe today announced that the Rift will be packaged with a wireless Xbox One controller, native support on Windows 10 and the ability to play Xbox One games inside the headset itself, in a sort of virtual cinema, via Xbox-to-Windows streaming. Microsoft's Head of Xbox Phil Spencer took to the Oculus stage to lay out his plans for the Rift and Windows gaming going forward -- and there's a reason he looked so happy while doing so. In fact, there are a few reasons the Microsoft-Oculus deal should be gangbusters for both companies.

First, the Rift is Microsoft's answer to Sony's Project Morpheus. The Oculus Rift is ready-made, has super-high brand recognition and is poised to offer a finely tuned VR experience to a horde of anxious, hungry gaming fans. Morpheus could very well walk into a similar situation when it launches, but there's one major difference between the two systems: Sony has to finish developing and then continually support Morpheus on PlayStation 4; Microsoft has to trust Oculus to handle most of that work.

Of course Microsoft will have to deal with compatibility and software issues on its own end, but the company doesn't have to build and maintain a VR headset for itself -- Oculus is doing that. Handing off hardware production is a calculated risk on Microsoft's end, considering Oculus has a solid track record of producing stellar, industry-standard VR experiences, plus it has the financial backing of Facebook. As far as trusting a VR company, Oculus is a good bet.

Getting cozy with Oculus also frees up Microsoft to work on its own, new projects, such as HoloLens. With this partnership, Microsoft is free to focus on developing a product in a field that is currently devoid of competitors: augmented reality. Whichever way the industry turns -- in favor of either VR or AR -- Microsoft is prepared.

And then there's the gamepad. Shipping the Rift with an Xbox One controller puts Xbox at the forefront of VR developers' minds. Even after years of production without a consumer release, Oculus remains the highest-profile VR headset in the industry -- and now it's linked directly to the Xbox One. Microsoft suffered a blow to its gaming cred with the bungled announcement of the Xbox One in 2013, heightened by corporate backpedaling and the console's top-of-the-market price point. All the while, Sony emphasized games -- indie games, AAA games, free games and discounted games.

Now, it's time for Microsoft to change the narrative. Xbox used to be the place for new, innovative and wild games -- before the current console generation, the Xbox 360's Indie Games and Arcade sections provided marching orders for the industry. With the PS4, Sony is king, and Oculus might be Microsoft's best chance at reclaiming that crown. Oculus' $10 million initiative to help indie developers make games for the Rift is a great start.

Besides, there's a sly kind of mic-drop in all of this: Oculus founder Palmer Luckey said in 2014 that Morpheus was not an open system, and just a few months later Iribe told us that he wasn't intimidated by Sony's push into VR. In fact, he'd invited Sony to see early Rift prototypes, and Sony in turn invited him to check out Morpheus. All the while, Microsoft kept quiet, worked on HoloLens and integrated the Rift into Windows 10.

This is all well and good for Microsoft, but what does Oculus get out of this deal? Simple: The Xbox One controller. Plenty of gaming hardware companies have tried, and failed spectacularly, to create the perfect traditional gamepad. Oculus has its own, two-hand controller system that might be great -- but if it isn't, the Xbox One gamepad is something that most players already know and love.

Ah, love. On the surface, the Microsoft-Oculus deal looks like an ideal match, but we'll see how perfect it truly is when both the Rift and Morpheus launch in early 2016.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/11/oculus-and-microsoft-love/

I know there's a rule about using the original articles title, but Engadget's title is a bit ridiculous

I also still think VR is very niche, but this is what competition does I guess.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Yeah I think we can make an exception on the title this time

[LimeMaster]

Yeah I think we can make an exception on the title this time

No, you must follow the rules and change the damn thread title.

[HawkMan]

Wow, major win for both OR and Xbox.

 

OR get's multiplatform support expanding their market extremely, and adding millions of potential users who don't want to invest in an expensive gaming rig to use it. and MS gets a VR headset that's widely supported and also supports PC, making users far more likely to buy it over a console only VR headset. 

 

this is pretty big, even if VR is probably going to be pretty nich. 

[theyarecomingforyou]

It's not proper support for the XB1 - all they're doing is running games in a virtual cinema, which means they're running them significantly below native resolution (hardly surprising as the XB1 can't run many games at 1080p @ 60fps and the OR has a much higher resolution). It's also running via a PC, making it less practical. It's nothing like Project Morpheus.

 

As for bundling the XB1 controller with it, that seems like a way to unnecessarily bump up the price. I wonder whether Valve will do the same with the Steam Controller for the HTC Vive. If the HTC Vive releases on time then I think the Oculus Rift might have a tough time, especially as it's owned by Facebook which puts a lot of people off.

[Melfster]

I sure oculus will have both bundled xbox controller + occulus and just Oculus version.   But you have standardize on one controller so I am glad they chose the default controller for Rift.

[Doli]

Good match.

Virtual cinema looks silly. Just present a widescreen no VR display if people want to game with no distractions.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

This isn't really VR for the Xbox One, but on that note it's good to see MS taking PC gaming a lot more seriously.

It should help in an ecosystem where people have a gaming PC and want a console though.

[FiB3R]

Yeah, sitting in a VR theatre, and playing a presumably laggy, lower resolution version of my Xbox games on "The Big Screen" is not really exciting me.

 

That's all they have shown so far, but there is always hope.

[HawkMan]

I'd consider it a first step. most likely what the OR will need is simply a HDMI port and a USB port. so technically the XO has all the requires connections.  We'll see, but I double MS will let Sony have VR on console alone if VR gets a marketable niche. 

Yeah, sitting in a VR theatre, and playing a presumably laggy, lower resolution version of my Xbox games on "The Big Screen" is not really exciting me.

 

That's all they have shown so far, but there is always hope.

 

why would it be lower res ? the xbox can stream full res.  but yeah I don't think they expect this to be a sellable point, but as I said, probably a first step while VR decides what it is and gets a footing. 

[spenser.d]

This isn't really VR for the Xbox One, but on that note it's good to see MS taking PC gaming a lot more seriously.

It should help in an ecosystem where people have a gaming PC and want a console though.

How is it not? Devs can theoretically create vr games for the xbox now. If Sony is able to squeeze enough power out of the ps4 to come up with a good experience, the xbox isn't far behind. I'm not saying it'll take off, but it is VR for xbox one, however roundabout.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

How is it not? Devs can theoretically create vr games for the xbox now. If Sony is able to squeeze enough power out of the ps4 to come up with a good experience, the xbox isn't far behind. I'm not saying it'll take off, but it is VR for xbox one, however roundabout.

 

Until you see Occulus devs caring to create games for the Xbox One, or even being able to, it is not, it's wishful thinking. This device has been made for the PC from the ground up, the Xbox One is slower than the PS4 on the graphical front, so with the Occulus requiring even beefier specs than the Morpheus, how do they get it up and running on the One? It's native screen resolution is far higher than 1080p as well.

 

If this partnership was definitely arriving with One games, why on earth wouldn't MS say above? Instead for the One they talk about a virtual cinema, not VR games, that's for the PC. This is a smart partnership to jump on the VR bandwagon, especially on the PC, but let's be realistic about what it means for the Xbox. MS have opted for Holo-lens as their focus, this is simply a smart marketing/business deal that allows them in on some of the VR hype. With headlines like this topic, it does create a force of conversation like your own, hence smart marketing, but even MS aren't committing to One games, and we know already what is needed to power the Occulus. The creators of Occulus have had no interest in catering for a low common denominator like a console, hence them pushing the technical boundaries. Sony had to cater to a lower spec to get VR on the PS4, and we're still waiting to see if even they can push out fully fledged games and not on rails/basic games.

 

Remember we need to hit 60FPS for VR, something that's already a struggle to do on a 3D game on the One (and even PS4). The Morpheus headset also has the reprojection trick to jump to "120FPS". Something I doubt the Occulus would ever look at, as again, it's not trying to cut corners to cater to a low common denominator.

[spenser.d]

Until you see Occulus devs caring to create games for the Xbox One, or even being able to, it is not, it's wishful thinking. This device has been made for the PC from the ground up, the Xbox One is slower than the PS4 on the graphical front, so with the Occulus requiring even beefier specs than the Morpheus, how do they get it up and running on the One? It's native screen resolution is far higher than 1080p as well.

If this partnership was definitely arriving with One games, why on earth wouldn't MS say above? Instead for the One they talk about a virtual cinema, not VR games, that's for the PC. This is a smart partnership to jump on the VR bandwagon, especially on the PC, but let's be realistic about what it means for the Xbox. MS have opted for Holo-lens as their focus, this is simply a smart marketing/business deal that allows them in on some of the VR hype. With headlines like this topic, it does create a force of conversation like your own, hence smart marketing, but even MS aren't committing to One games, and we know already what is needed to power the Occulus. The creators of Occulus have had no interest in catering for a low common denominator like a console, hence them pushing the technical boundaries. Sony had to cater to a lower spec to get VR on the PS4, and we're still waiting to see if even they can push out fully fledged games and not on rails/basic games.

Yes but technically a developer could create (or try to create) a vr game on xbox one. So it is technically vr for xbox one ( you don't need to have games for this to be true). It's disingenuous to say it isn't. We all understand what the caveats are with it, but that doesn't detract from what it is.

I think we're just arguing semantics though...as I said, I'd agree not many will be raving to create vr games on xbox just because of this.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Yes but technically a developer could create (or try to create) a vr game on xbox one. So it is technically vr for xbox one ( you don't need to have games for this to be true). It's disingenuous to say it isn't. We all understand what the caveats are with it, but that doesn't detract from what it is.

I think we're just arguing semantics though...

 

True. I really think the focus for MS for gaming will be Holo-lens on the One, that is it really. It's always going to be more feasible for your own proprietary tech to work on your own hardware. I mean can anyone imagine if Madcatz made a console VR headset? *shudder* Point being 3rd parties are never going to do it as well, or in this case care enough when their market lies elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook tried to launch their own "console" one day. Or maybe I should say "Facebook branded PC". Sorry you cannot install this privacy addon, we need your details, thx.

[spenser.d]

I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook tried to launch their own "console" one day. Or maybe I should say "Facebook branded PC". Sorry you cannot install this privacy addon, we need your details, thx.

Will that include contextual ad vr "experiences" right in the middle of my game?

[Hedon]

This is great news for gamers that this appeals to that is for sure. Not to mention, another check mark for Microsoft's Xbox and Microsoft's Windows platforms. Glad that MS is taking gaming so serious.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Will that include contextual ad vr "experiences" right in the middle of my game?

"HERE'S A SUGGESTION FOR A NEW FRIEND TO EAT DORRITOS WITH AND PLAY GAME OF WAR*".

*Creepily based on knowing your exact location, and who your next-door neighbours teenage daughter is.

On a related note Game of War is totally coming to VR right? lol...

[MikeChipshop Member]

How is it not? Devs can theoretically create vr games for the xbox now. If Sony is able to squeeze enough power out of the ps4 to come up with a good experience, the xbox isn't far behind. I'm not saying it'll take off, but it is VR for xbox one, however roundabout.

 

I do semi agree with what you're saying.

Right now it's a virtual cinema screen for playing games on. Which i think is frankly awesome. I'll be able to stream XB1 games from my living room to my office without the disadvantage of the smaller office monitors, simply strap on the Rift and have a virtual massive screen. (I currently do this for films using various software with the DK2, but having it have streaming out of the box is going to be a massive plus).

 

So, nah, not really VR as we expect, however, MS and Oculus forming this tight bond is an absolute dream for the future of VR and gaming from MS and what the future holds is very exciting.

[123456789A]

Any word on how much this Ocular Rift thing is supposed to cost?

[Hedon]

Any word on how much this Ocular Rift thing is supposed to cost?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Any word on how much this Ocular Rift thing is supposed to cost?

 

I'd guess $349-399. Anything higher and 

[HawkMan]

I'd guess $349-399. Anything higher and 

 

It's going to be higher, first gen is not for the masses.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

It's going to be higher, first gen is not for the masses.

 

Would have thought FB would have subsidized a little. If a PS4 with Morpheus bundled can come in at $499/549 it'll cause an interesting start to the VR race. A standalone price point of around $199-249 for existing owners is what spawned that debate in the Sony section about Morpheus/Oculus. What do you think for Oculus? I fully expect Oculus to trumph Morpheus in lifetime sales, but hitting the ground running can help with initial development.

 

These will be going on sale around the same time, so for some it will be a choice of one or the other. Although if you have a beefy PC it's an easier decision, go with Oculus. Even if you have a PS4, there's no doubts Oculus will be far superior if you have the rig. Morpheus is for us peasants who have crappy PCs And to enjoy some exclusive games, as Sony don't seem to like PC gamers much.

[FiB3R]

I'd consider it a first step. most likely what the OR will need is simply a HDMI port and a USB port. so technically the XO has all the requires connections.  We'll see, but I double MS will let Sony have VR on console alone if VR gets a marketable niche. 

 

why would it be lower res ? the xbox can stream full res.  but yeah I don't think they expect this to be a sellable point, but as I said, probably a first step while VR decides what it is and gets a footing. 

Don't know, I just presumed that the floating screen in the theatre wouldn't be 1920x1080

Has the final resolution of the Rift been revealed?

[MikeChipshop Member]

I'd guess $349-399. Anything higher and 

 

I'd have thought this would be about right. I mean, they've always talked about it being an affordable device and that sort of hits the target i'd expect people to be willing to pony up.