Microsoft has landed a huge deal with Oculus Rift, with Xbox One games able to be streamed to the virtual reality headset along with Xbox One controllers being included with the device’s consumer model.
During the Oculus press conference in San Francisco yesterday (June 11th), the Xbox team’s Phil Spencer joined Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe on stage in order to reveal how Microsoft and Oculus would be working in tandem in order to allow console games to be played using the VR tech.
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Streaming from an Xbox One to an Oculus Rift will be made possibly by Windows 10, with the upcoming operating system allowing the likes of Halo, Forza, Sunset Overdrive and more to be played using the headset. Microsoft has not yet released a full list of the games that will be compatible with the Rift, but expect more details at this year’s E3.
This announcement is essentially Microsoft laying down the gauntlet to Sony, who have previously revealed their contender to the Rift, tentatively titled Project Morpheus. Whereas the Rift has always been more powerful than Project Morpheus, Sony would have been hoping that the Rift’s lack of functionality with consoles would have allowed them to position themselves in the fledgling VR market. Unfortunately for Sony, that isn’t the case anymore, and the Xbox One has now lurched ahead of its competitors by securing this deal.
All that remains to be seen is the price point for both headsets. With Oculus stating that it would cost roughly $1,500 to get started with the Rift (that’s including both the cost of a PC that matches the device’s system requirements and the device itself), it’s estimated that the headset will cost around $500. Sony has yet to give any inclination as to how much Project Morpheus will cost upon its release, so if it falls somewhere between the $300 – $400 mark, it could still prove to be an intriguing prospect for PS4 owners.
