Although Sony has not yet revealed details about the release of its PlayStation VR, nor its price, three Swiss websites listed the headset with a price that ranges from around $400 to $500.
A NeoGAF user posted screenshots of the listings for the PlayStation VR, with prices around 450 to 500 euros (around $435 to $544). This cost is in line with what experts have already estimated for the headset.
This price comes in at about the same cost of a new console, which makes sense, as Andrew House, CEO of Sony's computer entertainment division, stated last year to Bloomberg that the headset would cost about as much "as a new gaming platform."
"VR rewrites the rule book on how you can create games," said House. "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."
However, as Sony remains secretive about the VR headset's cost, the prices on these Swiss websites could just serve as an estimate, a placeholder price as those companies prepare for preorders (assuming that happens soon).
Sony already has more than 100 games in development for the headset, too, so the release date of PlayStation VR will probably coincide with those games becoming available. All that's known so far, though, is that players can expect to see the system sometime this year. Experts suggest that Sony will sell around 2 million headsets before the end of the year.
If these prices are correct, the PlayStation VR will be less expensive than its competition, the Oculus Rift, which will retail for $599. That also doesn't take into account that the Oculus Rift requires a PC with great specs, adding to the additional cost of the system. However, PlayStation VR works with the PlayStation 4 console and it's likely that those gamers who buy the headset already have the console on hand. Even if they don't, a PlayStation 4 is generally cheaper than a high-end gaming PC.
It's not just the price point, though, that could push PlayStation VR beyond Oculus Rift. The sheer number of titles available could make it the best investment for virtual reality players.
"The more important thing will be the title count at launch," said GameStop CEO Paul Raines. "I think that's going to be big. And from what we can see at this point, Sony seems to have the strongest title count."
