Facebook acquired one, Sony created one itself, Google made one out of cardboard, and now Microsoft is rumored to be preparing to launch one. What am I talking about? Virtual reality headsets.
There is an enormous amount of hype surrounding virtual reality this year, mainly due to the experiences being shown off for use with the Oculus Rift.
A lot of them look very promising, and could kickstart a new era of immersive gaming. It has yet to be proven whether virtual reality will become a mass market consumer product, though, but with Facebook now funding Oculus, and Sony’sProject Morpheus looking likely to see a release, Microsoft could be left at a disadvantage in the gaming space if it didn’t join in.With that in mind, Microsoft’s hardware team is thought to be working on its own virtual reality device. The source of the rumor is the supply chain, through which Microsoft would source the required components to make a headset prototype. The big unveiling of this product is expected to be E3 2015 being held in June next year.
Microsoft entering the virtual reality market was actually inevitable if you think about it, and the company does have an advantages over its rivals in the form of Kinect. It has become clear that being able to see your own arms (or even your whole body) during a virtual reality experience makes a lot of difference to how immersive (and interactive) it can be. Kinect is perfect for tracking body part movement, so it seems likely any Microsoft VR headset would incorporate Kinect tech as standard.