Xbox One news and updates: Xbox One games can soon be streamed to Oculus Rift for VR gaming
Microsoft announced that next month Xbox One players and Oculus Rift owners can start streaming their console library to play with the Oculus virtual reality headset.
As per Xbox's global marketing senior director Kevin Unangst, "Today marks an evolution in our ongoing partnership with Oculus, as Rift owners will be able to stream their Xbox One library to Rift with the new Xbox One Streaming to Oculus Rift app."
The Xbox One streaming to Oculus Rift app practically connects Xbox One and Oculus Rift. The connection will be accomplished through a home network. And as Unangst noted, "Rift works natively with Windows 10, which makes it easy to set up, jump in and have an incredible VR gaming experience."
Once the connection is made, the Xbox One video output is automatically streamed to the Oculus Rift VR gear. The video output will be projected "onto a massive screen." VR players can choose from different VR environments called Citadel, Retreat and Dome.
Alongside the announcement of streaming Xbox One games to Oculus Rift, Microsoft also revealed that Xbox Wireless Controllers can soon be used when playing with Oculus Rift or when a player is streaming his game from console to VR.
Unangst explained, "With the Xbox Wireless Adapter and new PCs with native Xbox Wireless support, you can play games on Rift using your controller wirelessly right out of the box."
These developments are products of the partnership between Microsoft and Oculus that started last year. With the announcement of streaming Xbox One games to Oculus Rift and being able to play using Oculus Rift and Xbox Wireless Controller at the same time, the corporate collaboration has practically served what they promised their market.
Unangst also noted that there is no stopping to what gamers can stream to their VR headset. As long as the games are in the Xbox One library — including those in Backward Compatibility — it can be played in VR with the Oculus Rift.
Xbox One Streaming to Oculus Rift app will be free to download and use for Oculus Rift owners with Xbox One console starting Dec. 12.