With the gaming community buzzing with more and more VR hype, it’s great to get concrete developments rise up above countless rumors. During a pre-E3 press conference, Oculus announced its partnership with Microsoft.
Again, rumors and wishes have been the bulk of so-called milestones that have composed the past few months of Oculus Rift news coverage, so this is a welcome announcement. Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe was the representative chosen to break this news earlier today. Alongside the partnership unveiling, Iribe also made clear what would be included in the final product to be sold to consumers.
Coming with every Oculus Rift will be a wireless Xbox One controller and adaptor. What could be conceived as bad news is that, like the wireless adaptor it’s sold with, the Rift is intended to run on Windows 10.
From the consumer side of the fence, this can appear like a cash grab from Microsoft, but there are plenty of positives for developers, some of which will translate to positives for the consumer. With Microsoft as a partner, there will be far more relevant and efficient technical support for Oculus Rift-related problems. This will also open the door for a more streamlined development process, which means cheaper games come out quicker for the consumer without an effect on quality.
What all this means for Microsoft’s previous VR hardware endeavors remains to be analyzed.
As far as the problem of users having to upgrade to Windows 10 to use the Rift, the minimum system requirements announced by Oculus on their blog on May 15th will likely mean many users will need to upgrade their PCs anyway. Many media outlets have already aired their gripes regarding the high-end system req’s the Rift boasts, but there are plenty of sources of advice for those looking to dump the cash on a new Oculus Rift-centered PC.
For those of us looking to stay frugal and spend less, this is particularly devastating, but you’ve got to crack a few eggs to make the world’s first in-home VR omelet.