A while after IGN Italy reported that some users had received messages notifying them of an update for their VR headset, Microsoft has reiterated that it isn’t working on a new VR device. Talking to The Verge, a Microsoft representative said that the copy in that error message is inaccurate due to a localization bug and that VR for the Xbox console is not a focus for them at this time.
The copy in this error message is inaccurate due to a localization bug. VR for console is not a focus for us at this time.
Microsoft Representative
Reports from IGN Italy claimed that some Italian Xbox users had received messages which translated to the following when connecting the recently released Xbox Wireless Headset to their Xbox Series X or Series S consoles: “[a]n update for the VR headset is available” and “[u]pdate VR headset”.
Last week, Sony announced that it’s working on the successor to the PSVR for the PS5 console with better tracking, enhanced FOV, and improved visual fidelity. The company is reportedly working on a new VR controller similar to the DualSense wireless and a light-weight headset that will connect to the console with just a single cord. There’s no word on when the headset will launch but it won’t be anytime this year.
Microsoft scaled down its VR plans for the Xbox console back in 2018, with Phil Spencer claiming that the company wanted to focus, “primarily on experiences you would play on your TV”. He reiterated this in late 2019 (around the time Half: Life Alyx launched), saying that console VR was not Xbox’s focus ahead of the Xbox Series X / S release.
