Microsoft’s Xbox One X may be sitting on the sidelines when it comes to VR support for now, but over on Windows 10 it’s a different story. The company is preparing to launch a line of Windows mixed reality headsets in partnership with manufacturers later this year. There’s still a lot to learn about these new devices, but today we’ve heard two developers are making apps for them.
The first of these is Fusion Wars, a tank battling game that looks a little similar to Rebellion’s Battlezone. Last week developer Estudiofuture announced that it would be hosting a closed beta for the game ahead of its launch on the Oculus Rift and Gear VR. A press release notes that a Windows Mixed Reality version of the game is also in the works alongside HTC Vive and PlayStation VR (PSVR) editions.
Microsoft previously assured us that these VR headsets would very much be entertainment devices when they launch later this year, so we’re not surprised to see VR games announced for them so early on. In fact we’d expect a large amount of the content coming to Windows Mixed Reality in the near future to be ports of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR titles, especially now that the company has its own six degrees of freedom (6DOF) controllers to rival Touch, Move and the Vive wands.
The second app is MelodyVR, a 360 degree video service focusing on live music experiences. The company recently announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to bring its platform to all Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Microsoft will be aiding the company with funding and expertise.
That’s two apps we know will be coming to Windows Mixed Reality soon, then. They’ll need to use the headsets’ inside-out tracking systems, though neither sound like the kind of apps we’ll be using full room-scale VR for. The first headsets for the platform will be launching for consumers around the holiday season, but there’s still a lot to learn about them before then.
