HoloLens Doesn't Mean Microsoft Won't Also Do VR

HoloLens Doesn't Mean Microsoft Won't Also Do VR

"The games industry is always a place for innovation."

In January, Microsoft revealed HoloLens, an augmented reality headset that blends your digital life with the real world. The reveal video even showed off how it might be used to play Minecraft, which Microsoft acquired last year for $2.5 billion. It's a different type of technology with a different focus compared to the virtual reality headset we've seen from Oculus, Sony's Morpheus, and the recently revealed Vive from Valve and HTC. However, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said that HoloLens doesn't prevent Microsoft from getting into virtual reality in the future.

"I don't think we've locked ourselves out [of virtual reality]," Spencer told Eurogamer in an interview. "We've looked at a mixed reality space that we could do with HoloLens and think about it as a unique set of features and technologies to enable, that doesn't preclude us from doing anything in the VR space either from a first-party or partnership perspective. I've used Morpheus, I've used Oculus, I'm going to see more of the demos here."

Spencer added that while there are a lot of interesting developments in VR right now, no one knows exactly what to do with it yet. "I don't think - and this isn't a shot at VR in any way - I don't think it's landed yet on what it is and how it's going to go to market, but the innovation work is amazing, and it's something the games industry has always done, whether it's AI or voice," Spence said. "The games industry is always a place for innovation."

Microsoft previously said that virtual reality technology such as Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus are "truly exciting," but they aren't direct competitors to Microsoft's new HoloLens technology.

For more on virtual reality, watch GameSpot discuss why it doesn't work yet on The Lobby below.

Oculus Says Rift May Not Launch in 2015, But Nothing Has Gone Horribly Wrong

Oculus Says Rift May Not Launch in 2015, But Nothing Has Gone Horribly Wrong

Oculus wants to release its VR headset as soon as possible, but without compromises

Oculus founder and inventor of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset Palmer Luckey previously said that something would have to go "horribly wrong" to prevent the device from an official launch in 2015. Three months into the year, we still don't have a release date.

Did something go horribly wrong? Luckey answered the question while speaking at a SXSW panel.

"I did say that before we made a lot of changes to our roadmap and we've expanded a lot of the ambition we had around the product and what we wanted to do," Luckey said. "Us partnering with Facebook allowed us a lot of things that we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise like hire 300 people to be working on getting the Rift out as quickly as possible at the level we want it.

"I can't comment on the date one way or another in either direction but I can say that nothing is going horribly wrong. Everything is going horribly right."

Luckey commented on whether he feels more pressure to release the Oculus Rift now that Sony and Valvehave announced that they will release their own virtual reality headsets in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

Luckey said that it doesn't add more pressure because there "couldn't possibly be more pressure anyway," and that Oculus wants to launch the Rift as soon as possible, but without comprises.

"I do still think that it will be [the best VR headset at any price]," he said. "That could change because that means that there's something even better out there, but I think that's unlikely right now."

You can watch the SXSW panel in the archived Twitch stream above.

video link below:

http://www.twitch.tv/sxswgaming/b/636486536?t=000s

Sony Won't Refund PS4 User Who Lost $600 From Hack

PlayStation firm only offering $150 in PSN credit; Account will be banned if dispute is raised with bank.

Questions have been raised over the standard of Sony's customer services after it was discovered that the victim of a PlayStation 4 hack would not be fully refunded the $600 that was stolen from him.A Reddit user, going by the name Kadjar, explained that he awoke on Wednesday morning with a series of email alerts stating that about $600 of content had been purchased through his account. He also discovered that his PlayStation 4 has been deactivated from PSN and another system, of which the location is unknown, has seized control as the primary system on the account.

Having spoken to Sony customer services on several occasions throughout the day, his criticisms of its response was summarized accordingly:

• Sony will only refund $150 of the $600 that was taken.
• The money will be in PSN credit, and not refunded into the bank.
• If the user escalates the payment dispute with his bank, his account will be banned.
• If his account is banned, his purchased licences for games, such as The Last of Us Remastered, will be wiped.
• If the licences are wiped, there is no way of restoring them.

The user's PlayStation 4 cannot be designated as the primary console for another 6 months, meaning it is locked out of the account until then.

If a PlayStation 4 loses its place as the primary console, users must wait six months to reverse the policy.

Readers on Reddit have voiced outrage at what they consider poor protection from account hacks. Others have urged that this story highlights how important it is that users protect their account with a very strong password, due to the lack of protection should something go wrong.

GameSpot has contacted Sony to discuss the matter or provide some clarification.

Kadjar has published images of his online chat with Sony customer services, and highlights three other cases where users have complained about similar issues.

His post reads:

"This morning, I started receiving emails indicating a number of purchases on my PSN account. As the transactions came in, one-by-one, it became immediately clear that my account had been hacked. I immediately logged into PSN and removed my card from the account, changed my email and password, and simultaneously launched support chats with both Sony and my bank.

"The Sony representative told me that they are only permitted to refund transactions of up to $150. He also informed me that I could dispute the charges with my bank, but by doing so, my account would be banned from PSN. As a result, I would permanently lose all of my purchases, including the Last of Us Remastered.

"He also informed me that my existing PS4 had been deactivated from the network this morning, and that a new one had been activated. When I asked him to deactivate that new, mystery PS4, he said he could not. I then turned on my PS4, logged in with my new credentials, and attempted to activate my PS4 with my account, but it informed me that I could not activate it as long as there was another PS4 bound to my account.

"I called customer support, hoping for some clarification. The agent informed me that there is indeed a refund investigation underway, but that it will be limited to $150, and that it would be credited to my PSN wallet, not my bank account.

"Furthermore, my account will not be able to activate a new system for 6 months, per Sony policy. I'm completely locked out of my own account until that date. I then asked about what would happen if I got my bank to reverse the charges, and he informed me that it would result in a banned account. I asked if there would be any way to restore my purchases, and he told me that there would not be, but I 'only have the Last of Us and a couple of the monthly free deal games,' so it's not a big deal."

Several Reddit users have offered Kadjar copies of their games, which he has thanked them for, but declined.

"My goal here is bring attention to a few of Sony's bad customer service policies in the hopes that they'll change them," he said.

Need for Speed Most Wanted Trailer Focuses on Multiplayer

According to the trailer Most Wanted will be the most socially connected game of this generation, a pretty lofty claim, but considering that the Need for Speed franchise came up with Autolog, it’s a believable one. Need for Speed Most Wanted is due out October 30 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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