Now that we know PlayStation VR is coming in Q1 or Q2 of 2016, the conversation has turned to the next biggest topic: its price.
Of all the high-def virtual reality headsets coming our way, not one has yet announced a price tag. Not even a hint — until now.
Today, Sony Computer Entertainment's CEO Andrew House shared a very big hint with Bloomberg while talking about games PlayStation intends to deliver for VR. The new device will be "priced as a new gaming platform," according to House.
What does that mean, exactly? If House was referring to a new game console along the lines of the PlayStation 4, then the PSVR could run as high as $400. If House was talking about a lower-end console, that would translate to something in the $250 - $300 range.
Given that the VR device will only work when connected to a PlayStation console, will consumers be willing to double their investment into current-gen PlayStation hardware? More to the point: Can modern gamers even afford a $400 peripheral?
Suddenly, there's an obvious reason why Facebook/Oculus and HTC/Valve haven't announced pricing for their devices yet. Gamers are likely to scoff at price tags that cheap for an unproven technology, when the majority of fans still don't know why we need VR goggles.
Nonetheless, Sony appears to be going all-in on VR technology. Bloomberg reports that at least ten games will be available for PSVR when it launches next year.
On the other hand, this isn't the first time Sony has jumped headlong into embracing new technology — and some of those shifts in direction landed with a resounding thud. PlayStation Move was a direct answer to NIntendo's motion-sensing Wii console, and it sold respectable numbers, but it never graduated to become a must-have. After Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time, Hollywood was quick to jump on the 3D bandwagon, Nintendo added 3D to its DS handheld, and Sony announced big 3D gaming support for the PS3. Sony even launched its own 3D-enabled flatscreen TV aimed squarely at gamers. But the whole thing soon fell flat and Sony quickly abandoned the trendy tech.
Only time will tell if virtual reality will end up in the gaming graveyard or rise to the prominence that its proponents believe is inevitable.
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