Xbox Co-Creator Comments on Virtual Reality

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 1, 2025 270 Views 5 Min Read
Xbox Co-Creator Comments on Virtual Reality



Summary

  • Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley dislikes VR due to lack of appeal, method of play, and user experience.
  • Xbox hasn’t pursued VR like PlayStation, but Microsoft is partnering with Meta for a VR headset.
  • Despite lacking a killer app, VR is gaining popularity with successful titles, Meta headsets, and potential growth.

Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley isn’t a fan of virtual reality, and isn’t mincing words about how he feels about the current VR landscape. Though Blackley hasn’t been a part of the Xbox team for over 20 years, it seems his general attitude regarding VR matches some of Xbox’s prior statements on it.

When it comes to virtual reality, the console gaming landscape has taken sides regarding whether it’s worth pursuing. PlayStation introduced the PS VR and its successor, a pair of virtual reality headsets that utilize the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5’s power. Meta has seen success with the Quest line of virtual reality headsets, and even Nintendo tinkered with simple VR with the Switch Nintendo Labo. However, Xbox hasn’t shown interest in diving into the trend with its own headset, and now one of the co-creators behind the original Xbox has voiced his opinion.

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In a discussion with VideoGamer Podcast (via PC Guide), Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley says that VR’s lack of widespread popularity is partially due to a lack of “killer app” and partially due to the method with which the games are played. Blackley claims that people have “personal fantasies” regarding what VR can deliver, but that once they put on the headset, they “just want to take the headset off” because it’s “this hot, heavy thing… weird and disappointing.” To fans of virtual reality, he stated that VR and AR haven’t taken off, and that “if you’re a big fan, I’m sorry, but it’s just the [expletive] fact.”

Blackley Mirrors Prior Xbox Stance, But Industry is Shifting

Xbox fans have been curious about whether the console family would ever pursue VR, and Xbox head Phil Spencer previously claimed that “no one is asking for VR.” However, while Xbox isn’t producing its own headset, it seems that stance has shifted, as Meta and Microsoft are partnering to create a VR headset for Xbox gamers. The Xbox Cloud Gaming app also makes it possible to play Xbox titles on existing Meta headsets. These games lack full VR integration, but players can still enjoy a large virtual screen when using a Meta VR headset to play.

Meta has seen success with its VR headsets as of late, with the Meta Quest 2 and the new Meta Quest 3S both reportedly selling well. Meta Reality Labs, which designs the Quest headsets as well as the tech behind things like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, saw its biggest quarterly revenue yet in Q4 2024, clearing $1 billion. Though the company is still seeing losses overall, it’s clear that the industry is still gaining new fans.

With that said, it’s arguably true that VR lacks the “killer app” that has the appeal to draw in the same player counts as non-VR titles. However, VR adaptations like Resident Evil 4, as well as full-fledged titles such as Half-Life: Alyx, Beat Saber, and VR Chat have found success. It remains to be seen if VR can reach the same number of gamers as current-gen consoles and PCs have, but the industry isn’t turning its back on VR just yet.

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