Microsoft has been developing a gaming-focused VR headset for Xbox One but has now decided to put the project on ice due to technical roadblocks and low demand for VR, according to CNET.

Xbox VR headset put on ice
Sony has a VR headset dubbed the PlayStation VR but Microsoft has not offered gamers the option. At one point, the company announced its intentions to partner with Facebook’s Oculus but nothing official has emerged. The company has also been developing its own headset.

- ”Not much about the design of Microsoft's Xbox VR headset is known. Those privy to early briefs said the device wasn't particularly designed to break new ground. Instead, an Xbox VR headset was discussed as being more of a competitor to Sony's PlayStation VR, whose screen quality and visuals are considered good, but not the best in the industry,” the report from CNET said.



Microsoft has now decided to put its VR plans on hold due to lackluster demand for VR and until better display technology emerges, according to CNET. The report claims that Microsoft wants a wireless solution.

It is a notable turnaround from Microsoft who on several occasions have talked publicly about virtual reality gaming. At one point, the company even said that Xbox One X would support VR gaming. The company is also developing HoloLens, which is a 'mixed reality' headset that can augment virtual objects onto the real world.

The company’s official statement on the matter is now quite different. 

- "We don't have any plans specific to Xbox consoles in virtual reality or mixed reality," Mike Nochols, Microsoft’s chief marketing officier, recently said.

- Source: CNET