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It might already be the Year of Virtual Reality as far as high-end PC users are concerned, but console brands PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo see things panning out in quite different ways.
Microsoft’s gaming arm Xbox was the first console manufacturer on stage for the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
While it didn’t tackle virtual reality head-on, Xbox did confirm a more powerful home console for 2017.
Ambitious hardware specifications should see the Scorpio match and exceed today’s minimum requirements for a Virtual Reality ready computer.
At the same time, Xbox is already collaborating with Facebook-owned Oculus VR, packaging an Xbox One console controller with Oculus’s PC-oriented Rift headset since March.
So while Microsoft as a whole has been researching its own HoloLens technology, it seems likely that 2017’s Scorpio will support VR.
Later the same day, Sony’s PlayStation dedicated a portion of its own presentation to the PlayStation VR headset. Launching October 2016, the PSVR offers the experience of home VR at a more affordable price than its immediate competitors.
While the Oculus Rift retails for US$599 and the HTC Vive for US$799, both require a powerful home computer to run them. A computer strong enough to support either of those headsets would cost around US$1,000 to snap together from scratch; US$500 for those that are only upgrading chips and graphics cards. Even then, a US$349 PlayStation 4 coupled with a more modest (and modestly capable) US$399 PSVR is the most wallet-friendly choice in comparison.
As for Nintendo, the company has a mysterious new console currently set for March 2017.
It’s not thought likely that the NX would support standard VR technology — historically, Nintendo has preferred to use inexpensive mainstream technology in innovative ways, as with the Wii’s intuitive motion controls and the 3DS’s no-glasses 3D screen.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime wouldn’t rule out pursuing VR in future but, in his view, the technology behind it isn’t mainstream yet — a deal-breaker for the company. So while PlayStation is preparing for a VR-ready end to 2016, and Xbox carries the potential to support it in 2017, Nintendo is holding off for now.