Every Oculus Rift Will Ship With a Free Xbox One Controller

[Jadak]

Sooooo we're going to be sitting in our living room with an Oculus on...just so we can enter a VR world in which we're.......sitting in a living room playing Forza? Wow...the marvels of technology never cease to amaze.

The better example would have been sitting on the toilet, or in dark room while your significant other is trying to sleep, or just any cramped space that would otherwise be too small/cluttered and/or does not have a tv.

I mean, there's plenty of decent uses for this, they just fucked up the presentation by doing nothing to reference those perfectly good use cases while simultaneously leading people into the false expectation that they were about to watch some cool VR game demo.

 

[loa]

Did I read that right?
They are gating the xbox one wireless controller behind windows 10?
I guess they don't want that thing to become the widespread standard that the 360 controller is then cause I ain't switching to windows 10 until it's more round around its inevitable new-release-edges.

Also I like how a quality controller has become the standard in an ocean of crappy products so you know where to get something that works well but I'm not a fan how some games with "controller support" in turn flat out no longer natively work with non-xbox controllers. Come on, it's not like some "keyboard supporting" games only support a specific logitech keyboard, we got to get that shit standardized properly and I hope that xbone controller won't breed its own set of "these games shalt only work with an xbox one controller and not a 360 one" fragmentation.

 

[RJ 17]

Did you see Microsoft's demo of Forza on Oculus?


My sides have entered orbit.

Sooooo we're going to be sitting in our living room with an Oculus on...just so we can enter a VR world in which we're.......sitting in a living room playing Forza? Wow...the marvels of technology never cease to amaze.

That can't be real.. I mean there is just no way microsoft could be that.. retarded.

I don't know...do you remember the "features" the XBox 1 was originally going to be released with? They've certainly proven themselves to have a track record of making terrible decisions.

 

[Petromir]

Did I read that right?
They are gating the xbox one wireless controller behind windows 10?
I guess they don't want that thing to become the widespread standard that the 360 controller is then cause I ain't switching to windows 10 until it's more round around its inevitable new-release-edges.

Also I like how a quality controller has become the standard in an ocean of crappy products so you know where to get something that works well but I'm not a fan how some games with "controller support" in turn flat out no longer natively work with non-xbox controllers. Come on, it's not like some "keyboard supporting" games only support a specific logitech keyboard, we got to get that shit standardized properly and I hope that xbone controller won't breed its own set of "these games shalt only work with an xbox one controller and not a 360 one" fragmentation.

Don't forget that DirectX 12 is also Win 10 gated, and Win 10 is free, these two should mean a fair number of the gaming population on PC jumps ship fairly quickly so the number of people the xbox one controller can't be used by will likely be slim.

The xbox one controller also differs minimally from the 360 one, the major difference in many regards being the comms protocol something thats unlikely to be a pcgames makers worry, most of whats being sent between the two is likely identical. Having both 360 and one official support is likely easier than either and generic for the others...

 

[Frezzato]

Did you see Microsoft's demo of Forza on Oculus?

Spoiler

My sides have entered orbit.

I'm a huge fan of absurd humor. But this, this is leaps and bounds beyond anything I've seen so far, because it's real.

 

[MazokuRanma]

PS: You say you get everything: Wii U? Lotta fun in my book.

I do have a Wii U, and it's an excellent system. I actually have more Wii U games than PS4 and XB1 combined at this point, though in fairness the Wii U did get a one year headstart.

 

[Vrach]

Of course, while the Xbox One controller will work with all versions of Windows, you'll have to upgrade to Windows 10 in order to take advantage of its wireless adapter.

So, considering you can't use a wireless XB1 controller without the wireless adapter (a fact I was shocked to find out recently as I can use a bloody PS3 wireless controller by simply plugging it into the USB, with the right drivers and software), it only works with Windows 10.

 

[Vrach]

Did you see Microsoft's demo of Forza on Oculus?


My sides have entered orbit.

Oh... dear... god. Congratulations, that stage took some balls to stand on.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I honestly have to say I have no interest in the Xbox. So are they saying that i'm gonna have this extra controller sitting around that I won't be using? Oculus is now the game industries largest "sell out" in history. Here you have a crowdfunded indie rebel, that got bought out by one of the largest personal information data bank on the planet, and then partners with one of the largest tech monopolies on the planet. What with all the fundraising and time spent on M&A and redesigns and hype, now there are at least 3 other major potential competitors to this item, I frankly don't see what makes this one special to begin with now, and now much less so because its going to bundle a bunch of garbage I don't need. I don't know if I'm being unfair but there is really almost literally nothing they could do to get me excited about this whole thing. Absolutely nothing.

To be fair, it's not unreasonable to try and create a situation where at the very least everyone trying to do VR has a gamepad (or some other, similar input device). I'd have preferred something else, honestly, but it's better than keyboard+mouse by a huge margin.

(Before you start yelling at me, have you ever tried VR? Do you have the slightest clue how absurdly awkward it is to use a keyboard especially while wearing something on your face that completely blocks your view of the outside world? I mean, maybe you had something else, but if you were expecting to do VR with a keyboard and mouse, then you have probably never experienced the practical reality of it.)

 

[Dragonbums]

So Oculus is now partnered with both Facebook and Microsoft? My interest in Oculus has dropped even further. I'll wait and see if the HTC Vive or other 3rd party products can compete with this before considering an Oculus at this rate.

Yep... leave it to big greedy corporations to kill anything new or fun.
This seems like a sneaky way to get people to use windows 10 since you can't use the damn thing without it.

Hey guys, I'm not all into the Oculus Rift either. Haven't been from the start. I just thought it was a way overhyped gimmick that would rival Kinect/Wii motion controls in how dumb you looked.

But with that sentiment out of the way...do we even know if it will be bad when partnered with Microsoft? It's not like MS did anything with it yet. They are just providing a controller. Which in all honesty is a nice gesture considering how not everyone will have a compatible controller to play the thing. It's coming out on the market next year yes?

I say just wait and see how it will work.

 

[Dragonbums]

Did you see Microsoft's demo of Forza on Oculus?


My sides have entered orbit.

Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight.

You have a VR headset strapped to your head.

The VR headset is emulating a common living room.

In this digital living room there is a flat screen television

On this digital flat screen in a digital living room, this is where the actual Forza game is playing?

So they made Forza on the Occulus to have the user play in an emulated room, on an emulated tv space, where it's emulating the actual game? Who thought this was a good idea?

I wanted to throw up just looking at that demo. And I bet the woman playing that demo probably collapsed and puked on the floor 10 seconds after filming that. And with the way here head was unnaturally moving (maybe for demo purposes.) it didn't look like a barrel of fun at all.

 

[loa]

Don't forget that DirectX 12 is also Win 10 gated, and Win 10 is free, these two should mean a fair number of the gaming population on PC jumps ship fairly quickly so the number of people the xbox one controller can't be used by will likely be slim.

I'm not so sure about that, people tend to stick with what works now and dip their toes into the water instead of jumping right in sight unseen even if it's free when it comes to operating systems.
There's still many windows XP users out there. I would know, I was one until 4 months ago and I will also not jump onto the newly released windows 10 right away until the kinks are ironed out. Give it a year or 2.

For most people, the occulus will therefore come with a controller-shaped dust collector.
Kind of a shame since it's actually a good one if it is permitted to work.

 

[Lightknight]

Oh, so people will still have to buy a good controller. Ok.

That's too bad. Maybe if the new xbox one controller was the one being packaged and maybe if that actually did solve some of its problems.

 

[Gatlank]

Will they have a cheaper "no xbox controller" edition for sale?

 

[Kameburger]

I honestly have to say I have no interest in the Xbox. So are they saying that i'm gonna have this extra controller sitting around that I won't be using? Oculus is now the game industries largest "sell out" in history. Here you have a crowdfunded indie rebel, that got bought out by one of the largest personal information data bank on the planet, and then partners with one of the largest tech monopolies on the planet. What with all the fundraising and time spent on M&A and redesigns and hype, now there are at least 3 other major potential competitors to this item, I frankly don't see what makes this one special to begin with now, and now much less so because its going to bundle a bunch of garbage I don't need. I don't know if I'm being unfair but there is really almost literally nothing they could do to get me excited about this whole thing. Absolutely nothing.

To be fair, it's not unreasonable to try and create a situation where at the very least everyone trying to do VR has a gamepad (or some other, similar input device). I'd have preferred something else, honestly, but it's better than keyboard+mouse by a huge margin.

(Before you start yelling at me, have you ever tried VR? Do you have the slightest clue how absurdly awkward it is to use a keyboard especially while wearing something on your face that completely blocks your view of the outside world? I mean, maybe you had something else, but if you were expecting to do VR with a keyboard and mouse, then you have probably never experienced the practical reality of it.)

lol no yelling friend, we're at peace here. I think that's fair what you're saying, absolutely, and maybe in that respect, I can see why this would be good, I do feel like the Oculus is stepping more and more toward being a very closed off platform. I mean am I going to be locked into using that controller? Will there be other options? Will I be able to use my ps4 controller when playing PC games if I feel so inclined? I mean it just makes the oculus now seem like part of this whole framework of the console race, where as before it somehow felt different. I mean I can see what your saying for sure, you're right I have never used VR and I can't imagine mouse and keyboard being the best for that, especially if you lose your fingering.

 

[Lightknight]

Will they have a cheaper "no xbox controller" edition for sale?

Looks like the Xbox controller bundle is just one version. The Occulus has their own controller too.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I honestly have to say I have no interest in the Xbox. So are they saying that i'm gonna have this extra controller sitting around that I won't be using? Oculus is now the game industries largest "sell out" in history. Here you have a crowdfunded indie rebel, that got bought out by one of the largest personal information data bank on the planet, and then partners with one of the largest tech monopolies on the planet. What with all the fundraising and time spent on M&A and redesigns and hype, now there are at least 3 other major potential competitors to this item, I frankly don't see what makes this one special to begin with now, and now much less so because its going to bundle a bunch of garbage I don't need. I don't know if I'm being unfair but there is really almost literally nothing they could do to get me excited about this whole thing. Absolutely nothing.

To be fair, it's not unreasonable to try and create a situation where at the very least everyone trying to do VR has a gamepad (or some other, similar input device). I'd have preferred something else, honestly, but it's better than keyboard+mouse by a huge margin.

(Before you start yelling at me, have you ever tried VR? Do you have the slightest clue how absurdly awkward it is to use a keyboard especially while wearing something on your face that completely blocks your view of the outside world? I mean, maybe you had something else, but if you were expecting to do VR with a keyboard and mouse, then you have probably never experienced the practical reality of it.)

lol no yelling friend, we're at peace here. I think that's fair what you're saying, absolutely, and maybe in that respect, I can see why this would be good, I do feel like the Oculus is stepping more and more toward being a very closed off platform. I mean am I going to be locked into using that controller? Will there be other options? Will I be able to use my ps4 controller when playing PC games if I feel so inclined? I mean it just makes the oculus now seem like part of this whole framework of the console race, where as before it somehow felt different. I mean I can see what your saying for sure, you're right I have never used VR and I can't imagine mouse and keyboard being the best for that, especially if you lose your fingering.

Ah well, I don't much like the implications of what oculus has been up to recently either.
The xbox one thing isn't so much a proprietary solution though as an extension of the defacto standard for windows gaming.

Chances are, games that support a controller on PC, assume people own an xinput device. And since microsoft created the api involved, xinput controllers are by default assumed to be xbox 360/one controllers.
There are other controllers supporting those standards. (logitech, and razer amongst others), and wIth hacks you can get any directinput device (any pc controller made in about the last 20 years) to work too, usually.
With more extreme hacks, you can get playstation and nintendo controllers to work as well.
Supporting an xbox one controller is a reasonable move on PC because of existing standards, basically.
I do find the xbox one streaming and the bundles in general to be a bad sign though...
It has certain... Worrying implications that merely supporting xinput itself wouldn't.