After Sony has announced the Morpheus project, it began to wonder if Microsoft had been working secretly on some virtual reality (VR) project as well. But David Dennis, an Xbox program manager, made it clear that Microsoft is not interested in entering the area directly, and that patents are just precautions to protect and change your mind.
"Right now, all you are looking at are just prototypes and development stuff," he said of projects like Rift and Morpheus. "I think for us, it will be interesting to see how consumers respond and what experiences developers can offer."
When asked about Sony's announcement of Morpheus, he said that he likes to see innovations in the VR field and that it will be good to see how consumers and developers respond and what they will be able to develop for him. But when asked if Microsoft is missing an opportunity to keep up with the wave of innovation, he replied that he thinks it is a little early to assume that VR will be at least the same size as the 3D TV revolution a few years ago.
As for rumors about Microsoft developing its own augmented reality glasses, David Dennis said not to take those reports too closely.
"There are always many rumors about many things," he said. "We have patented many things. As you know, Microsoft Research does a lot of things. You patent the things to protect the intellectual properties in case you want to work on them in the future, but you should not have it as a sign that something specific is developing. "
[Source: Arstechnica]
