Update: The head of the Xbox division, Phil Spencer, has told CNET that Xbox One X will still support virtual reality and has given reassurance that the commitment of the company has not changed, that seems to refute this Wall Street Journal’s report.
Original: Computers are better prepared for virtual reality than consoles, the Xbox marketing director told The Wall Street Journal.
The Xbox One X, the new video game console from Microsoft, will not include support for virtual reality, one of the most important technologies in evolution today, in spite of the early involvement of the company in this area.
The new console was unveiled by Microsoft during the E3 2017 conference on Sunday. Until now known as Project Scorpio, the Xbox One X promises better graphics for players, whether or not they have a 4K television. What it will not do is show you VR, a technology that promises to carry users who wear special glasses to a computer-generated 3D environment, either outer space or Stone Age.
The reason for which Microsoft has made this decision is because virtual reality is better made for computers than for consoles.
“The opportunity on PC is larger, because the install base is larger and we think the customer experience will be better on PC,” was the statement made by the Xbox marketing chief, Mike Nichols, who told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.
The decision to skip the virtual reality is a surprise, considering that Microsoft left consumers with the impression a year ago that the new console would support VR. Although the company did not specify which VR device would be compatible with the new Xbox in June 2016, it showed the version of Fallout 4 as a game that would specifically come for this type of devices.
The new console is one of the most important releases of the Xbox team in years. The Xbox One, well regarded by many, has sold below the PlayStation 4, its biggest competitor, in a ratio of two to one.
