The Oculus Rift is getting people excited about the concept of virtual reality all over again. It’s not cheap, the technology isn’t fully polished, and there’s no way you can wear it without feeling a bit like a buffoon, but seemingly everyone who experiences this fresh piece of hardware walks away wanting to put it right back on. With both the Xbox One and PS4 launching this fall and the Oculus Rift gaining stream with the core gaming community, the desire to see console support for the head-mounted display has been spreading. Although neither company has made any bold statements on the issue, Microsoft's Phil Harrison seems to at least be considering the option down the road.
Speaking with CVG at this week’s Gamescom event in Germany, Harrison pointed to the Xbox One’s quick data transfer when asked about support for the Oculus Rift.
"Yeah there's high-speed USBs on the back of the console that allow for high-speed data transfer, and our platform is designed to be open and extendable," Harrison said. "We have no particular plans at the moment."
Microsoft isn’t afraid to test out new, interesting technology. The Kinect has become one of the core elements of the Xbox One package – even if it isn’t required to start up the actual box. If it’s what the people want and fits into the vision, there’s no reason why the company wouldn’t at least try to integrate the device. We’ll just have to wait for a confirmation before things get too serious, though.
