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Microsoft doesn’t talk too much about the metaverse these days either.
It’s a clunky comparison, though, given that Kinect was orders of magnitude cheaper.
Former Windows chief Terry Myerson showcases the likely doomed WMR headset “HoloLens."
PSVR2 retails at a mammoth 530 in the UK, making it more expensive than anXbox Series Xitself.
But these are the sacrifices necessary to offer a premium, high-quality VR experience.
The problem is, it seems like nobody wants it.
Valve’s Index headset.
Even Nintendo Switch consoles were hard to come by, despite having chips that were far easier to source.
Anecdotally, one product I rarely found to be out of stock was Facebook’s Meta Quest 2.
There’s a big debate online about the business viability of VR as a platform.
The Meta Quest is the world’s most affordable quality VR headset.
The idea is that you get people through the door, then sell them software digitally via your stores.
VR by comparison, for most people, is only comfortable in short bursts.
VR is a big, physical commitment, which obviously creates barriers to entry.
The Logitech G Cloud brings Xbox games into the palm of your hand.
This is before we discuss price, room space requirements, and other barriers.
And like I said, what makes console gaming so lucrative as a business model is that software sell-through.
Now, this is just a single game on consoles.
Meta posted a staggering $14 billion loss during 2022, trying desperately to make this work.
And this is with a far cheaper headset than the PSVR 2, while also being completely wireless.
It’s hard to envisage how Xbox could have done anything differently here.
Nobody is calling for that now.
The truth is that Spencer, unequivocally, made the right bet.
Ultimately, Xbox was faced with a choice.
That’s a bet that thus far doesn’t seem to be paying off.
We’re decades away from that being a possibility, in my view.
It was an exciting vision of what could be.
A room of virtual windows, a canvas for ultimate room-sized multitasking at scale.
The perfect office environment, destroyed by its atrociously tiny letterbox viewfinder.
Reports suggestHoloLens 3 may never see the light of day, and it’s not entirely surprising.
Meta, the biggest player in VR today, has alsoreportedlycanceled two upcoming VR headsets too.
It’s not a stretch to envision that PSVR could also end up sidelined as well.
It’s a shame because there is something awesome about VR.
But I doubt the necessary breakthroughs in the tech will come from today’s players in the space.
