Xbox should focus more on PC VR games, gamers say
Xbox executives think that there it is not time for VR and AR yet.
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Key notes
- Sony released PS VR2 this year, to critical and commercial success.
- META Quest 2 has also sold over 10 million units, while Vision Pro is coming.
- So the time for VR and AR might be finally here, but Xbox doesn't agree.
Even though Xbox is getting over 5000 new games that are currently in development, and it has a very exciting roadmap for the following months and years, users are still wondering why Xbox is not taking the VR road.
Recently, it has been revealed that Microsoft executives think that Xbox is losing the console war. And in an effort to boost Xbox sales, they tried to buy Sony out of business. Microsoft is also trying, or at least, has tried, to buy other small video game companies to somehow make sure Xbox will thrive in the long run.
On the other hand, Sony has recently launched PS VR2, a VR headset that focuses on PlayStation games in a VR setting. The set received critical acclaim and was positively received by gamers as well.
So the question is natural. Why doesn’t Xbox try to build a VR set? Well… we’ve got some news for you. And it’s all about the executives, again.
Here’s why Xbox won’t focus on PC VR games
Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studio, said that the scale of VR is just not at a point and a scale where it would be worth making games for.
In an interview for the Hollywood Reporter, he said:
I think for us, it’s just a bit of wait until there’s an audience there. We’re very fortunate that we have got these big IPs that have turned into ongoing franchises with big communities. We have 10 games that have achieved over 10 million players life-to-date, which is a pretty big accomplishment, but that’s the kind of scale that we need to see success for the game and it’s just, it’s not quite there yet with AR, VR.
Matt Booty
But numbers don’t lie, and recent reports show that AR and VR sets are doing exceptionally well, commercially speaking. Meta Quest 2 reportedly shipped over 10 million units, and this was in 2021. Quest 3 is coming out this year, and most probably will exceed the commercial success of its predecessor.
Even more, Apple’s Vision Pro renewed the conversation around VR and AR, so a lot of people are now more interested in it than they were a year ago.
So unfortunately for Xbox, these are all signs that the time for AR, and VR is indeed here. Microsoft has explored the idea of a VR headset with HoloLens. So if they want to come up with a similar device for Xbox, it might just change the game altogether.
Since 5000 new games are already being developed for Xbox, thousands can be developed for this device alone. One can only hope.
What do you think about it? Would you be excited about a VR set from Xbox? Let us know in the comments section below.
