Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Microsoft today announced that it’s entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of game studio Bethesda Softworks. I think Microsoft has been a good parent company for gaming IPs, and they don’t have a grudge against me, so maybe I will be able to re engage with some of my old titles.

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Digital Trends

MARCH 4, 2022

Sony has pulled Gran Turismo 7 in Russia, while Microsoft is suspending all sales of new products and services.

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Road to VR

MARCH 19, 2021

Despite being among the early supporters of the OpenXR consortium—the industry group building the open standard for XR devices—Sony so far seems to have avoided making a specific commitment to implement OpenXR on PSVR or its next-gen headset. Sony, however, remains an odd one out. After years of development, the OpenXR 1.0

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

JANUARY 5, 2024

This week saw Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, Meta, and Sony move to optimize their product offerings and business operations. Last year, Microsoft also shut down its long-standing Metaverse platform Altspace VR, transferring some of its development team to its Mesh platform.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 8, 2021

Microsoft announces Mesh, an XR collaboration platform. Alex Kipman promised us a Microsoft Ignite conference with an amazing level of immersion , and he kept his word. But since Microsoft owns one of those studios (and using it costs around $100K/day if I remember well!), You are all fantastic! Here you are my flower for you!

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Road to VR

MARCH 17, 2021

Microsoft says however that the error message was inaccurate, and that VR for Xbox is still not a happening. Some prognosticated that Microsoft has mistakenly leaked VR support for Xbox, something it has repeatedly rebuked in the past. This tracks with Microsoft’s long-term stance on VR for Xbox consoles going back to Xbox One.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Ginza Sony Park, the Japanese tech giant’s Tokyo-based hub for Sony brand promotion, is now playing host to a new Ghostbusters -themed multiplayer experience using a newly revealed Sony AR headset prototype. And yes, they’re shooting proton energy from their hands. Otherwise you can sign up here (Japanese).

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Road to VR

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Australian publication Stevivor recently sat down with Xbox head Phil Spencer to broach the subject of whether or not the company’s upcoming next-gen console would be matching Sony’s continued VR ambitions with PlayStation 5. The post Microsoft Affirms VR Isn’t a Focus for Xbox Scarlett appeared first on Road to VR.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JUNE 13, 2017

We haven’t had the E3 where Sony doesn’t shut up about VR like it once did 3D, for example, nor the E3 where it seems like everyone and their mothers are making VR games like they once were mobile or motion controlled experiences. It was Microsoft that dropped the ball the hardest.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

As usual, Microsoft is firing first with its press conference this E3, but it’s doing so even earlier than anticipated. This E3 is shaping up to be the biggest batle between Sony and Microsoft since 2013, the year where each had to convince gamers to buy a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One respectively.

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Road to VR

JULY 9, 2020

Sony Corporation announced today that it will invest $250 million in Epic Games, the company well known for its hit game Fortnite and the Unreal Engine game engine that powers it. It’s the “convergence of gaming, film, and music” part which speaks to where the long-term synergies between Sony and Epic lie.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 1, 2021

Image by Sony). Sony officially states it is going to launch the PSVR 2. PlayStation VR has been the most successful headset until now (if we exclude the crappy mobile viewers), but now it is pretty dated and people were wondering what Sony was going to do. Some people started to think that Sony could have abandoned VR.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

JUNE 20, 2024

This week, at AWE 2024, Sony Electronics introduced new 3D visualisation tools that enable users to see and interact with XR content without smart glasses via the ELF-SR2 (27-inch) and ELF-SR1 (15.6-inch) Sony Electronics will display the system on the expo floor at AWE 2024, ready to showcase how XR goes far beyond headsets.

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Road to VR

JUNE 9, 2019

With the curious case of Microsoft initially announcing VR support for Xbox One X and then later pulling the plug before launch, it wasn’t clear if the company would use its next console as its opportunity to finally jump into VR. Meanwhile, Sony has already confirmed support for PSVR on PS5, and hinted at plans for a next-gen headset.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 21, 2021

Image by Sony Interactive Entertainment). Sony unveils the new controllers of the PSVR2. Sony promises amazing haptic sensations on the controllers, that should be able to provide “impactful, textured, and nuanced” sensations. Image by Microsoft). Top news of the week. It will so have inside-out tracking.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Japanese electronics giant Sony recently bought out Beyond Sports, allowing the former to build massive metaverse content for sporting events. Beyond Sports develops real-world data for 3D animations, and its technologies will seamlessly integrate with Sony’s growing portfolio of immersive solutions. it announced this week.

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Road to VR

JUNE 22, 2023

At least from the outside, it appears Microsoft isn’t actively competing for a seat at the XR table, which is fairly odd coming from a company that pioneered enterprise AR while simultaneously wrangling some of its top OEM partners to make a fleet of PC VR headsets for consumers in 2017. If Microsoft goes in half-cocked, maybe.

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VRScout

APRIL 7, 2017

“Smurfs: The Lost Village takes moviegoers into the world of the Smurfs, and the HoloLens allows us to go one better: to bring our world and the Smurfs’ world together in a mixed-reality setting,” said Elias Plishner, EVP of Digital Marketing at Sony Picture Entertainment. “It’s

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GizModo VR

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Sony acquired Bungie on Monday in yet another colossal acquisition between two gaming giants. While the advantages of owning a triple-A developer with a popular IP would seem obvious, the specifics of the deal have led to questions about Sony’s strategy in the intensifying war against Xbox. Read more.

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Mojang, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Minecraft , announced it’s dropping support for the original PSVR next year, leaving any hope for PSVR 2 support firmly at (bed)rock bottom. Then, there’s Mojang’s parent company Microsoft, which has been fairly wary of VR gaming in general over the years.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 2, 2024

The layoff round comes amid two high-profile projects currently in production by the studio: Zombie Army VR , a VR shooter based on the popular franchise from Rebellion, and Starship Troopers: Continuum , an online co-cop shooter created in partnership with Sony—announced just a day before news of the layoffs first broke.

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Road to VR

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Khronos Group , the consortium behind the OpenXR project which aims to standardize the way applications communicate with AR and VR headsets, just added Microsoft to its ranks. Among its count of members, the OpenXR working group consisted of nearly every major player in the industry except Microsoft until now.

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GizModo VR

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

He might not have as recognizable a name as corporate executives from companies like Apple and Microsoft, but next month, Sony will be saying goodbye to Masayasu Ito , who led the hardware development on the PS4 , the PS5, and some of the company’s other notable gaming devices. Read more.

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Road to VR

JUNE 22, 2018

Back at E3 2016, Microsoft’s Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced on stage that the Xbox One X (then ‘Project Scorpio’) would become the industry’s next VR-compatible console, positioning the platform to compete with Sony’s PSVR with what Spencer called “high fidelity VR.” Trouble in paradise?

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GizModo VR

JANUARY 18, 2022

Microsoft is acquiring gaming giant Activision Blizzard in a deal worth just shy of $69 billion—which the Xbox owner says will allow it to gain access to hundreds of millions of gamers and position it as “the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.” Read more.

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GizModo VR

JUNE 22, 2022

Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Sony, and other tech giants have formed a group designed to ensure interoperability in the metaverse. Notably absent from this list of heavyweights is Apple, a company heavily rumored to be working on its own mixed reality products. Read more.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

OCTOBER 26, 2023

Microsoft has reportedly filed a new patent to develop a microLED display solution to enhance virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) experiences. An Apple-Microsoft-Meta micro-OLED Melee? ” The initial patent continues, “The display substrate includes an array of micro-LEDs forming individual pixels.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 8, 2019

A Microsoft patent application for a ‘virtual reality floor mat’ describes a special mat which defines a virtual playspace and can be used for tracking. SEE ALSO Next-gen Xbox Revealed with No VR in Sight, Sony Forges Ahead with PSVR on PS5. Microsoft’s virtual reality mat patent application is a curious one.

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Road to VR

AUGUST 21, 2019

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Monday that the company is acquiring Insomniac Games, a storied game studio and one of the most experienced in VR development anywhere in the world. In that sense, this was a pretty good move for Sony on the VR front. Image courtesy Insomniac Games. SEE ALSO Xbox Game Studios Has (inadvertently?)

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

MAY 16, 2023

European Union (EU) regulators have backed the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition, the European Commission revealed on Monday. If successful, the deal has set a precedent for Microsoft to become the largest gaming buyout in history. Microsoft ‘s commitments will enable the streaming of games in any cloud game streaming service.

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VRScout

MARCH 3, 2017

Microsoft is showing some commitment to the idea of Windows Mixed Reality (formally known as Windows Holographic) with not just a single headset, but with five headsets. Back in February, Sony announced that they sold 915,000 PlayStation VR headsets since it launched in mid-October, while Microsoft focused on their HoloLens MR headset.

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Digital Trends

JANUARY 31, 2022

Sony proves it's willing to spend lots of money so PlayStation can compete with Microsoft's big Xbox deals.

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Layoffs spanning 2023 and 2024 included a number of top publishers and studios, such as Embracer Group, Unity, Microsoft, EA, Sony, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive and Riot Games. While disheartening, the news of layoffs comes as no real surprise given turmoil in the wider gaming market.

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Digital Trends

JUNE 13, 2022

Despite working announcing a partnership with Microsoft, Kojima states he remains close to Sony as well.

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The Ghost Howls

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

(Image by Sony Interactive Entertainment). Sony announces price and release date for PSVR 2. Sony Interactive Entertainment has finally announced that PSVR 2 will be launched on February 22nd, 2023 for $549. The collaboration between Microsoft and Samsung is now over. What will be important, anyway, will be the content.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MAY 19, 2017

For Microsoft it’s the Halo and Gears of War games. But for Sony, it’s changed with each console generation. So it was this grassroots thing at Sony – a lot of engineers liked VR and wanted to do something with VR. Tagged with: god of war , sony santa monica Facebook Twitter Reddit More.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Alongside Apple’s XR device debut, other firms, from Zoom to Microsoft, are jumping on the spatial computing bandwagon. First adopters of Vision Pro users can access Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop, complete with integrated Co-Pilot features, starting tomorrow. VR|MR 2024 wrapped up this week.

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