Microsoft launches app to let users stream Xbox One titles on the Oculus Rift

By tech2 News Staff /  13 Dec 2016 , 12:27

Microsoft has launched the free Xbox One Streaming app for the Oculus Rift. Users will need a Windows 10 PC, an Xbox One and Oculus Rift on the same wireless network for the streaming to work. At launch there is support for Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, and Halo 5: Guardians. Support for more titles, including sport and indie titles are planned for 2017. A few backward compatible Xbox 360 games will also be supported.

The feature is an extension of a feature that allowed Xbox One titles to be streamed to a Windows 10 machine. The Oculus Rift works with Windows 10 natively, so there is no need to install or configure additional software. The machine should be capable of supporting VR experiences, so the minimum requirements are on the higher side. Users will also require a free Xbox One Live account for the streaming feature to work. An Xbox One controller is used as input for the titles.

Previously, the Microsoft and Oculus teams had worked together to bring Oculus Rift support to the beta version of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition. The experience allows users to play Minecraft on a virtual flat screen television, or dive into the game at any point for an immersive 360 degree Minecraft experience. At the Microsoft’s Windows 10 “Creators Update” event in October, Microsoft demonstrated its own VR glasses.

Expect a slightly enhanced HTC Vive VR headset in the near future

By tech2 News Staff /  04 Nov 2016 , 12:16

If reports are to be believed, the HTC Vive VR headset is slated for a mild redesign.

Speaking to TechCrunch, HTC’s Rikard Steiber, SVP of VR at HTC explained that we might see an update to the HTC Vive’s form factor. The Vive VR headset was released in April this year, right alongside competitor, the Rift CV1 from Oculus.

The Oculus Rift and Vive have been competing head to head in the PC VR space since their launch and reactions to both have been mixed. The consensus is that the Rift is the better headset, but that the Vive, with its bundled controllers and room-scale VR, offers the better experience.

Steiber’s suggestion that the Vive will see an update, is a welcome one. Oculus has, after all, already announced plans for room-scale VR and touch controllers of its own and it’ll be too bad if the Vive falls behind.

Steiber also told TechCrunch that HTC’s VR plans in countries like China and Taiwan revolves around enhanced peripherals like wheels and weapons. He also suggested that innovation cycles in VR, as far as high-end VR headsets are concerned at least, will be “sort of annual.”

The Rift and the Vive, with all necessary accessories for room-scale VR and motion controls are priced in the same range (around $799). With all accessories included, the two platforms also offer a largely similar gaming experience.

It’s hard to imagine how the two platforms will set each other apart in the near future.