Microsoft Announces Partnership with Oculus

Microsoft has recently announced that they will be teaming up with the makers of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, a move which will further solidify the future of VR technologies in gaming.

This partnership means that retail copies of the Oculus Rift will be bundled with an Xbox One controller, allowing players to use their headset with their Xbox console. Phil Spencer of Microsoft has announced that the Oculus will work natively with the Microsoft 10 operating system.

It has been suggested that gamers will be able to use their Oculus on games including Halo, Sunset Overdrive and Forza. This Xbox-Oculus Rift partnership suggests that there may be some type of console-exclusive deal between the two companies.

Full details have not been announced, but it is not a stretch of to imagine that there will be a greater amount of Xbox exclusive games that will utilise the Rift heavily. It has been revealed that gamers will be able to use the headset’s VR display and sound system as a ‘virtual home theatre.’

The Oculus Rift won’t just be used for playing games on the Xbox, however. Owners of the headset will be able to use it for social activities, as hinted by Brendan Iribe, the CEO of Oculus. It remains to be seen what this actually will involve, but it is clear that Oculus isn’t just aiming to transform the gaming market, but the tech market as a whole.

Slated for a Q1 2016 release, the Oculus Rift will bring virtual reality gaming to the masses. Xbox fans will certainly have something extra to look forward to, as there will likely be some great interactive features between the Oculus and Xbox One. Wholesale pre-orders will be in high demand.