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Is Microsoft working on a VR Headset for Xbox? (hints say: "Yep!)

Castef

Banned
A collegue of mine in IGN Italy was installing the new Xbox Wireless Headset when a message prompted asking to "update the VR Headset" before continuing.

Of course, it could have been just a mistake, yet it is a very weird one, as "VR Headset" is a very specific term.

Details (and the picture) in this article (in Italian).

I guess Microsoft could be really working on a Virtual Reality headset?
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
A collegue of mine in IGN Italy was installing the new Xbox Wireless Headset when a message prompted asking to "update the VR Headset" before continuing.

Of course, it could have been just a mistake, yet it is a very weird one, as "VR Headset" is a very specific term.

Details (and the picture) in this article (in Italian).

I guess Microsoft could be really working on a Virtual Reality headset?

It's called a localization issue. VR headset is not such a specific term for an outsourced translator, which this probably comes from. The fact that this popped up in a translation makes that quite clear.

Knowing much of the Italian press, tho, it's not surprising that they decided to make much ado about nothing from this. Most are all about rumormongering and clickbait.
 
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Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
I don't know.

"VR" is such a specific term.

(also, thanks for the very civil specification about the "italian press").

You're welcome. Many of the headlines that happen on my feed make my eyes roll all the way back into my skull.

Again, VR is not such a specific term when an external company works on translation for something that has a term in common "Headset." Quite likely Microsoft did not provide specifics about what the translation was for, and the translator guessed wrongly. Having worked in localization, this is an extremely common mistake.
 
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Castef

Banned
You're welcome.

Again, VR is not such a specific term when an external company works on translation for something that has a term in common "Headset." Quite likely Microsoft did not provide specifics about what the translation was for, and the translator guessed wrongly. Having worked in localization, this is an extremely common mistake.

Sooo, what are you saying is that they worked on the localisation of a headset without knowing it was a sound headset and arbitrarily put VR into their messages for a mistake?

Now, THAT sounds a bit like a stretch.
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
Sooo, what are you saying is that they worked on the localisation of a headset without knowing it was a sound headset and arbitrarily put VR into their messages for a mistake?

Now, THAT sounds a bit like a stretch.

Not as much as this article that doesn't even mention the *possibility* that it may be a simple mistake, but instead sells the narrative as basically confirmed. Typical.

Outsourced localization is often provided text with zero accompanying explanations or context from entirely different companies. You may be working on a console today and on a washing machine tomorrow. The specific translators often don't even know who the client is. If you think this is a stretch, you simply don't know how that industry works.
 
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Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
"Me no agree with your ideas, let me explain how the world works".

Now, THAT's typical, Giusé.

I'm simply providing you with my experience having worked in localization for five years. I may not know better about how "The world" works. But localization? I know that quite well. Much to my dismay, at times.

And they message says "Visore" (= display).

Also, missed this before, or you edited.

"Visore" in Italian is the translation of "Headset." One would never use "Display" in English while describing a VR headset.

The original text likely simply said "headset" without specifics and the translator had to guess what kind of headset it was. They guessed wrong, because there isn't a specific Italian word for "headset" that fits all. Either it's "Cuffie" (audio) or "Visore VR" (Video) o altro. Italian is a language that tends to be much more specific than English.

If you're wondering "why didn't they ask for better info?" A lot of the localization industry for this kind of thing is very time-intensive, so people don't waste that kind of time and translators don't have direct access to the clients anyway. They expect the client to catch mistakes (or they simply don't care), which doesn't happen all the time.

This is not to say that Microsoft will never make a VR headset, but this certainly isn't an indication of that. There's no likely reason for this kind of definition for a VR headset to end up into something else entirely besides a translation mishap.
 
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Romulus

Member
You pretty much have to at this point. PSVR1 wasn't a huge hit because the technology was super outdated on launch day. Are they really going to let PSVR2 come along paired with PS5 with no answer at all? Because VR with the right tech is absolutely amazing and offers a completely different gaming experience that just makes the PS5 that much more appealing. Pretty much everything racing/flying/horror/ and arguably FPS are just superior with VR, it's not even remotely close, and MS has those genres in spades.
 
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You pretty much have to at this point. PSVR1 wasn't a huge hit because the technology was super outdated on launch day. Are they really going to let PSVR2 come along paired with PS5 with no answer at all? Because VR with the right tech is absolutely amazing and offers a completely different gaming experience that just makes the PS5 that much more appealing. Pretty much everything racing/flying/horror/ and arguably FPS are just superior with VR, it's not even remotely close, and MS has those genres in spades.

Actually it was. Over 5 million units were sold. Of course it was outdated because PS4 wasn't that strong for VR. But it was good for what it was at that price
 

Romulus

Member
Actually it was. Over 5 million units were sold. Of course it was outdated because PS4 wasn't that strong for VR. But it was good for what it was at that price

I'm just saying it could have been a lot better in terms of sales. 12 million no problem if the tech was decent on launch day. It wasn't. Otherwise, the games are good and the ecosystem is fine. The PSVR tracking and controllers are equal parts of the problem as the PS4.
 
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I'm just saying it could have been a lot better in terms of sales. 12 million no problem if the tech was decent on launch day. It wasn't. Otherwise, the games are good and the ecosystem is fine.

Is it? For 100$ maybe. But it would ne damn horrible. Look how much Oculus and Vive were priced and how much was PSVR? PSVR outsold them both combined and Vive and Oculus were more priced and andvanced. Mind you, PSVR wasn't developed for high end PC like Oculus and Vive were during that time. It was developed for PS4. And for what it was, it was good. It had good looking games.
 
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It's called a localization issue. VR headset is not such a specific term for an outsourced translator, which this probably comes from. The fact that this popped up in a translation makes that quite clear.

Knowing much of the Italian press, tho, it's not surprising that they decided to make much ado about nothing from this. Most are all about rumormongering and clickbait.
This is a lot of assumption on your part; what's to say Microsoft did not provide terminology documentation to such an outsourced team to follow by, or that this was even outsourced in the first place? They could have an internal localization team that did the translation for all we know.

There's also been several hints throughout the past up to present that VR support is most likely coming to Series devices; a recent listing for Half Life: Alyx (I can't recall the specifics on this), company heads saying they are looking towards VR support on the platform in the near future, Bill Stillwell (I think that's his name) being involved in the company's mixed reality department, the recent reveal of Mesh, and the fact that Flight Simulator 2020 is both getting a VR update in the near future and also coming to Series systems.

All this to say, at the very least, they are probably getting ready to implement support for third-party VR headsets, as Ailynn Ailynn said above. That wouldn't be a stretch to speculate at this point, but it probably won't be announced or deployed until at least the summer. Them developing their own headset is both a much thinner possibility and probably not required if their work on Mesh is anything to go by, but it also depends on how well Mesh ends up working out.
 

Romulus

Member
Is it? For 100$ maybe. But it would ne damn horrible. Look how much Oculus and Vive were priced and how much was PSVR? PSVR outsold them both combined and Vive and Oculus were more priced and andvanced. Mind you, PSVR wasn't developed for high end PC like Oculus and Vive were during that time. It was developed for PS4. And for what it was, it was good. It had good looking games.

I'm not really sure what you're saying here honestly. $100 what? And what would be horrible exactly?

PSVR was shit tech on release day, it has its advantages for sure, but it was overpriced at $400 and crappy tracking and shit controllers, worst VR controllers in the last 5 years by miles.
 
I'm not really sure what you're saying here honestly. $100 what? And what would be horrible exactly?

PSVR was shit tech on release day, it has its advantages for sure, but it was overpriced at $400 and crappy tracking and shit controllers, worst VR controllers in the last 5 years by miles.

PSVR maybe would be sold in +12 million if it was priced 100$ at launch, but tech would be horrible then, like some VR crap for mobile phones. And games would be crap too.

Tech was decent for 400$. You completely ignore ( and still do ) that PSVR was designed with PS4 configuration in mind, not for high end PC like Vive or Oculus. New controllers would push price up for PSVR, that's why they've used Moves. Yes, it could have been better regarding controllers, but tracking and lag was fine with Moves. Creed was joy to play, especially Beat Saber.
 
I'm not really sure what you're saying here honestly. $100 what? And what would be horrible exactly?

PSVR was shit tech on release day, it has its advantages for sure, but it was overpriced at $400 and crappy tracking and shit controllers, worst VR controllers in the last 5 years by miles.
It was crappy because was much cheaper than oculus. By they copied sony vr form factor.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Of course they will. More studios will make VR games and the tech is gonna get better and better. Halo, Gears, Forza etc will all have VR games.
Nintendo will too eventually.
Games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pikmin Luigi’s mansion, Pokemon, Mario Kart and Animal crossing will all get VR games.
And they will be awesome
 
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Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
Experience in what, exactly? I mean you want to make this a credentials argument, elaborate on yours with regards to the topic. I gave five actual points to back up my claim, you provided zero.

I have. I worked in localization for 5 years as I mentioned above, incidentally exactly in the country in question.

You gave absolutely no "factual points" just speculation.
 
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Rudius

Member
I already have a PS5 and will buy PSVR2, but a Xbox VR headset would make get a Series X as well, specially if they support it with Flight Simulator and the Forza games. Would be great!
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
I was always hoping they would just allow another vr headset like the Rift or Vive be compatible.

That would be sweet. When MS introduces WMR on Xbox (MAYBE at the MSFS launch, who knows..), WMR headsets would be supported out of the box since MS is all about that. Valve supports WMR for Steam VR, and Oculus is WMR supported via third party tools latching to Steam VR (..). But it might take quite a bit more effort from everyone to collaborate together to support headsets like the Index, Vive, Rift in "the other direction". I mean, on PC they can just write their own drivers to support WMR (and thus access to the walled gardens), but on Xbox..

Disclaimer: AFAIK. Happy to be corrected if something wrong.
 
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That would be sweet. When MS introduces WMR on Xbox (MAYBE at the MSFS launch, who knows..), WMR headsets would be supported out of the box since MS is all about that. Valve supports WMR for Steam VR, and Oculus is WMR supported via third party tools latching to Steam VR (..). But it might take quite a bit more effort from everyone to collaborate together to support headsets like the Index, Vive, Rift in "the other direction". I mean, on PC you can just write their own drivers to support WMR (and thus access to the walled gardens), but on Xbox..

Disclaimer: AFAIK. Happy to be corrected if something wrong.
So you're saying there's a chance....
 
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