PlayStation vs. Xbox: Sony Competes With Xbox One X via VR Games Not Supported by New Console
As Microsoft unveiled their "most powerful console," the Xbox One X, Sony capitalizes on the area that it does not support — virtual reality games.
This year, Microsoft's presentation for the Electronic Entertainment Expo was expected to mainly feature the product of Project Scorpio, which is now officially called the Xbox One X. While the company fulfilled its promise of delivering hefty specs to allow native 4K resolution gaming, Microsoft decided to skip on the virtual reality aspect as it will not be supported by their newest console.
However, this is not the same perspective Sony showed during their E3 2017 presentation earlier this week since a major part of their program was dedicated to the announcement of additional PlayStation VR games.
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One of the biggest surprises in this aspect is the announcement of the VR version for Bethesda's "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim." According to reports, while it was unveiled under Sony's press event, Bethesda is yet to confirm if this port will be exclusive for PSVR, especially since other upcoming VR titles from the company ("Fallout 4" and "Doom") are advertised to be supported by HTC Vive. Sony and Bethesda are also yet to reveal its release date.
Another successful game, "Final Fantasy XV," also got its VR version announced during Sony's press event this week. However, it was more like a spin-off release since it was mainly a first-person fishing game called "Monster of the Deep." Nevertheless, it will still feature the main characters of the franchise in virtual reality.
While Sony is bringing familiar games to the VR world, they are also releasing an all-new title for PSVR called "The Inpatient" where players will be brought to a mysterious and eerie mental asylum.
Since Sony has worked on releasing and collaborating with other game publishers to produce VR games, it can be said that the company sees a market for them.
On the other hand, Microsoft thinks the Xbox One X can excel without the VR support. In fact, VR was never mentioned when the new console was presented. Talking to The Wall Street Journal, Xbox marketing chief Mike Nichols explained, "The opportunity on PC is larger, because the install base is larger and we think the customer experience will be better on PC."
R.W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian understands Microsoft's decision on a business perspective as he also told WSJ, "Microsoft apparently doesn't believe the benefits of building their own VR platform justify the cost." He added, "They may lose some users on the margin, but we do not believe a lack of VR in the near-term will meaningfully impact sales."
