As promised, Sony confirmed the price and launch details for PlayStation VR during the ongoing GDC 2016. Undercutting both Oculus and the HTC Vive quite significantly, the publisher’s head-mounted device will hit the market in October of this year priced at $399 USD (£349/€399/$549.99 CAD).
For the sake of perspective, the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive will be priced at $599 and $799, respectively, though it’s worth keeping in mind that PSVR isn’t quite as powerful as its chief competitors.
Addressing those in attendance at tonight’s press event, PlayStation head honcho Andrew House issued a bold statement of intent, stating that “VR is a natural evolution of the experience we at PlayStation strive to deliver to gamers.”
Of the tech demos set to evolve into fully-fledged VR experiences, a Star Wars Battlefront VR title will surely pique the interest of would-be early adopters. The remainder of the launch library is shaping up as so: Allumette, Driveclub, Gary the Gull, Golem, Harmonix Music VR, Job Simulator, Joshua Bell: Immersive Experience (tech demo), Megaton Rainfall, Playroom VR, Star Wars: Battlefront VR experience, SuperHyperCube, Thumper, Tumble VR, Valkrie, Waltz of the Wizard, Wayward Sky, Xing: The Land Beyond.
PlayStation VR will hit the market a few months after the competition, given that HTC Vive is on course to drop next month and Oculus has set the Rift for a May launch. That $399 price point will be a major sticking point for many, although to get the complete experience users will have to fork out that little bit extra for both the PlayStation Camera and Move controllers.
Can Sony’s head-mounted tech hit the ground running in October? Time will tell – but it’s certainly off to a solid start.
