GDC has gone big this year with virtual reality as they had allocated two days out of their five day event for the Virtual Reality Developers Conference and one big announcement followed. We all are aware of the VR headset Oculus is offering – Oculus Rift that’s set be to rolled out on 28 March, followed by HTC and Valve’s collaboration project Vive. Recently, Sony announced that they will be launching their Playstation VR headset from October of this year for a suggested retail price of USD $399.
Sony also revealed that more than 230 developers are building content for PlayStation VR, from smaller independent teams to larger studios at the industry’s top publishers. They expect to have more than 50 games available from launch in October 2016 until the end of the year. 20 of those titles are playing at GDC, but Sony didn’t reveal a full list. There’s a good news for the Star Wars fanatics as Sony revealed that Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm are creating exclusive Star Wars: Battlefront content for PS VR.
Additionally, The Playroom VR, from Sony’s Japan Studio, will be available as a free download from PlayStation Store for all PS VR owners at launch. The Playroom VR will include six games that can be enjoyed with friends and family, demonstrating why Sony believes VR can also be an impactful experience when it’s shared.
Playstation VR is currently the cheapest in the market as it’s $200 cheaper than Oculus Rift and $400 less than HTC’s Vive. Even though it is cheaper, it is seen as being less advanced than its two rivals but many experts think it will outsell them. The headset was earlier said to be released in the first half of 2016 but it’s been pushed till October, 6 months post Oculus Rift launches. Both Oculus Rift and Vive require high-end PCs costing at least $1,000 or more in order to work whereas PS VR will come with ear buds and the cables required to use it.
However, it will not be bundled with the PlayStation Camera, which costs about $60 and PlayStation Move controllers that’s priced at $50 each (required for few games). So, even though Playstation VR is cheaper than Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, if we include the cost of the Camera and Move Controller it comes upto $510, just $90 cheaper than Oculus Rift.
