SCEA President Andrew House revealed in a 15-minute speech at GDC 2016 that come October, the highly anticipated PlayStation VR will be hitting shops for a modest price of $399 - a price point that had long been rumored since the last year.
The PS VR is a clear departure from the price points of its rivals VR headsets, the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which are priced at $599 and $799, respectively, even when considering the price of PlayStation Camera ($44) and Move Controllers ($28). It also distances itself from the "low" compatibility features of other VR headsets. As opposed to needing high-end gaming computers to the Rift or Vive, all the PS VR needs is a working PlayStation 4.
All of this convenience comes at almost no downside for the hardware. The PlayStation VR sports a 100-degree Field of View, 120hz refresh rate and 5.7 OLED screen with a 1920x1080 resolution. Many of these features match or downright surpass those seen in its competitors.
However, what may be the strongest feature for the PS VR is its game lineup. Sony promised that 50 games will appear for the headset between its October launch and December, five of which are expected to arrive on launch day.
The first of these is believed to be "PlayStation VR Worlds," which will be bundled in with a headset at some point. "VR World" is actually a collection of minigames with differing features. The first is "The London Heist," a throwback to the classic PlayStation 2 game "The Getaway," which has the player simulate a robbery. The second is "Into The Deep," which has a players take on the role of a deep sea diver. Others include "VR Luge," which has players roll down a hill on top of a Luge; "Danger Ball," which has players strike and spin a ball; and "Scavenger's Odyssey," where they player takes on the role of an alien treasure hunter.
The second and third games are being produced by Supermassive Games. The first is the previously announced "Until Dawn" spin-off "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood," and the second is "Tumble VR," a remake of the 2010 PSMove game "Tumble," which puts players inside a block-filled world tasked with solving puzzles by balancing blocks on top of one another.
The fourth is "The Playroom VR," and much like "PlayStation VR Worlds," it appears to be a bunch of minigames.
Rounding out the group is Guerilla Cambridge's "RIGS," which comes with two different modes that are sure to appease the bellicose and sports fans alike. In one mode, the game pits players against each other by having them pilot giant mech suits and try to blow each other up with an array of futuristic weaponry. In the other, the game puts you into teams of three and has players score points by hurling themselves into a goal at the center of the map.
With the dawn of VR almost upon us, Sony made us wait months for news about its virtual reality headset while competitors already had their products ready for pre-order. However, from what Sony has just shown, it looks like the PlayStation VR was well worth the wait.
