Microsoft patents VR mat, motion controller, and stylus possibly for Xbox

According to a few patents that appeared online — which were first spotted by Twitter user WalkingCat — it seems like a stylus, VR boundary mat, and motion controller are in the works.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

interesting stuff

[Obscure_Observer]

Microsoft should leave VR to Sony.

[Ricegum]

And Nintendo. And Oculus. And HTC & Valve.

[RangerWalk267]

NOOOO. Microsoft is welcome to the space. Because they are more open to allowing 3rd party companies to use their products with Xbox. Sony is like Apple in the sense that they want EVERY penny they can get. Plus, competition is healthy for the consumer.

[rainslacker]

Wow....I actually agree with you. But would extend it to anyone with an interest in bringing VR to the market.

Although I'd say that if they have some good ideas, they should patent them, as that's what companies who come up with ideas do. Then if its a good idea, they can still profit off it.

[CaptainCook]

Microsoft already has a VR headset. It's called "Windows Mixed Reality". They've created the software.

[RobLoPR]

🤣🤣

[Pickledpepper]

Why?
@obscure

[timotim]

Microsoft is already in VR. They have built an entire platform to support it. They just having added it to their consoles yet.

https://www.microsoft.com/e...

[UltraNova]

Agreed somewhat since they already left VR to Sony on console for years now. That said, MS should enter the console VR scene at some point, to inject new DNA and bring some healthy competition.

[DerfDerf]

Whe? The PSVue is low budget VR garbage compared to everything else on the market.

[Profchaos]

No the more VR is adopted into the mainstream the more money will get out into developing games which benifits all headset owners

[iplay1up2]

Nice! Can't wait for next gen. Including Switch! That will be awhile though.

[indysurfn]

A LOT of people are in for a surprise once again when it comes to Nintendo. Just read the Nvidia financial report and use deductive reasoning as to which company Nvidia is talking about when it comes to next gen console revenue.

[Donnie81]

There’s only one company currently using Nvidia chips so it’s not that hard at all to figure out who they would be talking about

[iplay1up2]

I just read the breakdown. It isn't the Switch that is losing them potential sales, its the PC market, according to the breakdown. Switch is still selling well, with Switch lite not selling as many at the launch. It still sold 250,000 that was back in Sept 27th. This Holiday season will tell where Switch is headed. This should be its last strong Holiday, as its getting older now. Switch 2 will probably launch in p in November 2021. At least I hope so. It should be capable of 4K!

[IRetrouk]

Nice!! The more companies that invest in vr the better, will help with adoption, sales and public perception plus the more devs working on vr the better the games will get.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Saw this a couple of hours ago. It's very interesting. Not sure how the mat works but any way to improve locomotion besides analog sticks is only a good thing . And, having a stylus that would allow you to draw with pin point accuracy can be beneficial.

Do it Microsoft. We need more competition in the console space to elevate the amount of one-upmanship that will make VR better overall.

Your turn Nintendo. Let's see some more patents hopefully leading to more hardware. Said this yesterday. Microsoft needs to get their hands dirty making their own hardware and from this patent, there's a possibility that this will be the case.

[rainslacker]

These motion things are always interesting, but they end up taking up so much room in a real world living room setting. Even if they have a small footprint, there is not easy way to store them, and they always take more set up than I feel is suitable for easy and quick play.

The headset itself will probably end up becoming easy enough to throw on, but everything else is just extra set up.

[sprinterboy]

My thoughts exactly, the patent image has the mat all spread out across the living room? That ain't gonna work with kids or the wife wanting to relax and do other things in the living room.
Plus isn't that a massive trip hazzard with a vr headset on?

[ApocalypseShadow]

Their best bet is a new mixed reality headset version 2 like Hololens got. They have the tech and let others build off that template. Just make one themselves.

Make it light. Make it comfortable. Make it wireless that lasts at least 3-4 hours without the optional plug in long wire.

Basically, if developers on PC can make their games compatible with Windows like they did from Vive or Oculus, they can easily port to Scarlett and meet certification.

That would give them an advantage at matching PSVR and surpassing it in other areas by having a shared PC/Xbox ecosystem. With also, better tracking and setup.

They just need to do it. Then, the war begins making VR better.

[DJStotty]

The mat could always be disguised as a kind of living room rug/mat combo, so no need to setup/takedown.

New tech is always interesting

[Profchaos]

I can easily store my psvr and accessories they are not that big and seperate cleanly from the base station for storage.

The mat however cool it is will be a nightmare to store unless it can somehow go underneath a living room mat without being obvious. I think it would be better to use more headset mounted room space tracking like the occulus quest does which maps out a play space including walls, stairs and furniture

[Necr0philiac]

@DJStotty and Profchaos
I'm sure a mat of this size we be able to be folded or rolled up. I could be wrong though

[rainslacker]

@Apocolypse

Sure. There are lots of options. No one solution is going to be perfect for everyone. At the same time though, every time a patent comes along, there is this furor about how it's definitely going to be a thing, and more often than not, things aren't things that ever see the light of day.

@DJ

Never said it wasn't interesting, but consider the make up of the average living room. Decor isn't something easily disguised without lots of options to personalize it, because decor is always personalized. While that's possible, that adds to the cost of something that supposedly needs to be within the budget of the mainstream to ever become something that is utilized by devs.

@Prof

I have no problem with the headset myself, other than the camera wire being too short for where I keep my electronics, and the working distance from where it works with games being too small to be useful for where I sit when playing games. Sometimes, this is dependent on the game, and despite motions still be registered, I get the damn "Out of play area" box which you can't remove. Otherwise, yeah, it's easy enough for me to store and get out the headset itself, but I do have to fuss around setting up the camera on a tripod in the middle of the room, and turning my PS4 around to make the camera cable reach. A mat would require me moving more furniture out of the way, and really setting things up, although, in my set up, I could actually not be playing in front of the TV, so it could be more convienant. My wife would certainly have something to say about leaving it out all the time though. Even if I had a game room like I used to, I wouldn't want ot leave it laying on the floor all the time.

Unfortunately, with things like this, there are so many situations within the real world environment that have to be considered, and most companies never bother to consider anything more than people will adjust everything around their products, instead of making their products around people's own needs.

[Neonridr]

the mat is designed to basically lay out your floor space. Say it's an 8' x 8' mat, then you know when you are reaching the boundaries of your play space.

[BlackIceJoe]

Stuff like this is cool, because more options for how you game is always welcome.

[Godmars290]

"Possibly for Xbox."

Is it really THAT much of a rumor? Nevermind the number of VR related tech MS have hinted at being usable on Xbox only to exclude it from the console.

[rainslacker]

All the Big 3 always have patents that get people speculating that it'll be for the console, or ever come to life. But maybe one in ten or twenty, actually see the light of day. Patents like this are to just to have it on file, and if someone else can make something out of it, they can make money on the research they put into it.

If by chance MS is looking at something like this for VR, then they need to have VR first. MS doesn't have a huge devices division for random stuff like this.

[ocelot07]

Seriously?? Has everyone forgotten MS actually have s pretty decent and cheap vr headaet?? It's called windows mixed reality. This could simply be for that and not Xbox.

[Knightofelemia]

Hopefully it gets marketed better and gets better utilized then the Kinect

[Thundercat77]

You guys need to make a decision of where you stand. First you say VR is garbage and it would die soon. You were wrong and Sony is number 1 in the VR market.

Now you hear an Xbox rumor and suddenly say VR is awesome. Xbox cannot make a steady success on normal games so success for then on VR is even less probable.

[rainslacker]

MS has been making VR API's for DirectX for a while now, just no one is really using it, because the individual headsets all have their own, and MS is pretty far behind the curve in features right now, although they're catching up.

But things like this don't mean that they're going to release it on Xbox, or even for PC. First, MS isn't a huge hardware maker to release random stuff like this where they wouldn't make much money on the hardware, and the VR headset makers aren't going to move away from their API's.

But, they do come up with ideas for things a lot, and hold thousands of patents. They put money into R&D for this stuff that may be looked at in the future, and if they come up with stuff, it makes sense to patent it. The "possibly for Xbox", is the same thing we see with all the Big 3 which come up with things all the time, but most of it never shows up on the market.

[Neonridr]

they never said VR was garbage, jesus christ.

[HighPlayer28]

Great options for next gen Scarlett.

[RobLoPR]

Do you know where we seen a great Oculus tech demo? The Microsoft Store in Puerto Rico!!! so yeah... they're getting ready. Looked a lot better than when VR was released.

[AK91]

VR mat? Sounds interesting as a concept but I need to see a video demonstration to see if its worth it or not

[sprinterboy]

I know it's only a patent but seriously that mat would not work in the home with kids legging it everywhere.
In the image it has a kid sitting on a chair at the side, who the fuk sits like that or better still has to move all the living room furniture to one side just to put the mat down (there is a reason nobody plays twister)

[Kiwi66]

From the brochure for psvr " clear an area larger than the play area of all obstacles before using ps vr"
So doesn't that sound like you need to move things around in the room that you are playing it in, so that is no different to having to have a clear space for what this patent is for

[sprinterboy]

There is no mat though is there numpty, I have psvr and I have the coffee table literally in front of me, I sit there not having to move anything. (live in a traditional 2 bed house uk)
Also Sony saying that is merely a covering there ass with health and safety.
The mat if it's anything like a dance mat from the past will literally be a trip hazard with the headset on potentially sending your head straight through the tv.
Edit: playroom is the only one I had to move the coffee table to one side.

[Pickledpepper]

@sprinterboy
Unless your playing a co op game with your kids why would your let your kids run around while you play, immersed in a game not paying attention to what your kids are up to.
I used to be a hard-core gamer and now 2 kids later I'm lucky if I get a hour a night.
After running around with them when I finish work, getting them settled for bed, bedtime stories, I'm absolutely shattered, then up at 4.30am getting ready for work to lay 20ton of tarmac.

[sprinterboy]

I understand where your coming from fella but I think a vast amount of kids are running around like headless chickens (you sound like a good parent)
There is always mum or dad around if someone is in vr but let's not kid ourselves how the realistic world works in the home.
I love vr and I'm not trying to downplay the MS patent mat and Sony does all kinds also but I just don't see this mat working or ever coming to market.
Lots of patents come and go at the end of the day.
Got a friend who works on the motorways so I know how hard you work.

[Pickledpepper]

@sprinterboy
I'm really shocked lol was expecting a negative response but got a positive instead.
Thanks mate, you've restored some of my faith that not everyone on n4g is negative and can reply without cussing.
Once again thanks

[sprinterboy]

Haha no worries fella. I know the feeling.
I got a pm the other day saying I was a fanboy, alittle back and forth with messages and he realised we had the same taste in games and views lol.

[gold_drake]

dont rly care about it but, more competition means more games. hopefully lol

[Raiden]

MS already have VR, they just won't release it until it wireless and very very light, when that is solved then you will see a VR device, but AR is pretty neat too, it's lighter VR headsets out there, anyway i wouldn't get my hopes up, for MS VR is not ready.

[Godmars290]

Until they can figure out how to add a subscription fee you mean. Offer largely multiplayer titles. Appear to have reinvented the VR wheel while likely either doing nothing different, or something someone else has done before only with more advertising.

[plmkoh]

You cannot stop progress, you cannot stop VR.

[babadivad]

It's not for Xbox.

[FyBy]

Wow I will never have a chance with the boundary mat in our living room :-)

[l33t_haxx0r]

Still waiting for vr on the xbox one x

[quiddd]

Remember when Microsoft introduced their own thing to combat VR? Sounds like it's not going well.

[S2Killinit]

Finally

[Dom_Estos]

MS getting involved in VR? I'll believe it when I see it. They're known bullshit merchants. They should have a whole R&D on VR, but they don't.

[dennigo]

everyone that wants VR to succeed should welcome this you're an idiot otherwise

[Profchaos]

The mat is cool other than that I feel it's all been done already.
But happy to see ms finally bring VR to console I have a feeling they tried but couldn't get it running on og xb1 and rather than segregate it's users they just waited