Now that the official branding is out in the open, Sony has began to delve into the finer details about its venture into virtual reality with PlayStation VR; the head-mounted proprietary device due for its consumer launch in 2016.
We’ve already caught wind of the impressive technical specs, while the final build of the headset – formally known as Project Morpheus – is all but set in stone save for a few minor design tweak, but what about an official price? Set to be one of the defining factors in the system’s would-be path to success, Sony has long kept the crucial tidbit under wraps. However, in an interview with Bloomberg, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House confirmed that the Japanese giant is treating the head-mounted device as a new gaming platform, and it will reportedly be priced as such.
“VR rewrites the rule book on how you can create games,” House added. “You’re seeing a large amount of interest and work happening among smaller teams, because it’s possible to create something in VR that is very simple but still very magical.”
Having delegated a significant chunk of its TGS 2015 floorspace to PlayStation VR, there’s no doubting Sony’s commitment to the budding new hardware, and House’s comment is our closest indication of an asking price yet. Comparing the virtual reality headset to a new gaming system – a fair comparison, of course – would likely position the finalized price tag somewhere in the region of the PS4 at launch: i.e. $399.99. That’s an estimated RRP, though high-street retailers running promotions and console bundles with the PSVR will likely undercut this purported price range.
PlayStation VR has been tentatively slated for a release at some point in 2016 – where it will launch alongside 10 fully-featured titles – but we’ll keep you posted