At least one Xbox One virtual reality game is already in the works

Xbox One
Is the Xbox One about to get a VR upgrade?

As we brace ourselves for E3 2016 (14-16 June, gaming fans), the speculation is ramping up about what we can expect to see. With the Xbox One trailing Sony's PS4 in the console race, the pressure's on Microsoft to come up with something of note.

The logical next step is virtual reality, what with the PlayStation VR arriving later this year, and a major development studio has confirmed to Ars Technica that it does indeed have an Xbox One VR title in the works for a planned 2017 launch.

Microsoft's current flagship console doesn't have VR capabilities or indeed a VR-compatible headset to go with it, so it sounds very much like some upgraded hardware is on the way - hardware this dev studio is targeting.

Getting in the VR game

Unfortunately, we don't know the name of the studio or the name of the game, but Ars Technica says the title will be demoed on PC or PS4 at this year's E3. Apparently, we're talking about "an established, long-running franchise" developed by a European studio here, so make of that what you will.

The obvious conclusion is that there's a VR version of the Xbox One coming next year: churning out high-resolution, virtual reality graphics requires a heck of a lot of processing power, which is why many industry insiders think a more powerful PS4 is also on the way.

Is Microsoft going to take the wraps off an Oculus Rift-ready, enhanced Xbox One at E3 2016? It's impossible to say for sure, but this is another hint in that direction. As usual, we'll bring you all of the E3 news from LA as it happens.

VR headsets - which one is right for you?

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.