As part of Microsoft’s ongoing partnership with Oculus, Rift owners are in for a treat come December. The VR headset will support streaming games from your Xbox One or Windows 10 via a free app that will hit the Windows and Xbox Stores on December 12. Get ready to experience your favorite games in virtual reality — sort of.
It’s exciting news for Rift owners, but don’t get your hopes up — it doesn’t mean you’ll be playing your games in VR. Well, you will, just not the way you might think. The Rift app essentially creates a VR environment in which you can play your games, the app reportedly includes three different environments you can immerse yourself in while you immerse yourself in your games.
The Rift app effectively mimics a gigantic screen in one of three VR environments: Citadel, Retreat, or Dome. From that screen, you can stream any of your Windows 10 or Xbox One streamable titles like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3.
The partnership between Microsoft and Oculus has been ongoing ever since the launch of the Oculus Rift, which shipped with an Xbox One controller in the place of the then-forthcoming Oculus Touch controllers. The Rift app will be the next step in that relationship, and it comes at an interesting time just after the release of the PSVR and PS4 Pro.
According to the Xbox news release you can give it a try at a few different retail locations this holiday season, in case you’re not quite sold on the Xbox One and Oculus Rift partnership. It’s a step in the right direction, and the closest you’re likely to get to a fully VR version of Halo 5: Guardians for the time being.
