VR is extremely prohibitive technology, with a ton of barriers to entry, not the least of which is cost. Microsoft is looking to lower the cost barrier significantly, partnering with multiple 3rd party vendors to release VR headsets for PC at a $300 price point, which will bring the cost of PCVR in line with PSVR, and possibly giving it a fighting chance to at least get started on the path to becoming a thing.
So far, so good... or better than it was, anyway. There's just one problem: Microsoft themselves.
Microsoft is all about pushing Windows 10 these days, and the PCVR headsets were announced at a Windows 10 event. VR, though, is still struggling to find mainstream acceptance on any platform, and needs to appeal to the broadest possible audience in order to have a chance at becoming established. On PC, that means Windows 7, which is still 48.27% of the market generally, and 34.72% of Steam users.
Thus, the questions:
- Will Microsoft do their best to get PCVR established by supporting these devices on Windows 7 & 8, thus undercutting their (apparently stalled) drive to push Windows 10 onto every PC on the planet?
- Will they use PCVR to push Windows 10 instead, cutting side deals with all five of their hardware partners to keep the new VR headsets exclusive to the new OS, and adding a new barrier to VR entry in the form of a Windows 10 requirement (not free anymore, remember), even as they lower the PCVR cost barrier?
- Since HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer are all going to want to sell as many headsets as possible, would they even go along with Window 10 exclusivity, even if it means they sell half as a many PCVR headsets as they might otherwise?