If you’re planning on picking up a PlayStation VR headset next year, you might want to start saving up your allowance, as Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Andrew House is claiming it will be “priced as a new gaming platform.”
To be fair, House may be using that terminology to help keep expectations more realistic. Bloomberg is reporting House made these statements during a Tokyo Game Show presentation, gearing folks up for the new VR headset expected to arrive on the PlayStation 4 sometime in the first half of 2016.
By saying the PlayStation VR (Known as Project Morpheus until earlier this week) is being priced as a new gaming platform, House could be trying to make the point that this isn’t going to be a $60 peripheral like a new controller or the PlayStation Camera. Then again, he could mean exactly what it sounds like, and gamers might be asked to shell over $300 to $400 for the highly anticipated device.
If you haven’t strapped a PSVR or Oculus Rift to your head, it’s understandable that such a high price range may cause a bit of sticker shock. But there’s a lot of tech crammed into those devices and, assuming the versions shown off during E3 2015 are similar to what will launch at market, they’re made out of some quality components.
It’s clear that Sony is gearing up to put its full weight behind virtual reality starting in 2016, with several games already playable during this week’s Tokyo Game Show event. People on site are reporting taking games like RIGS: Machine Combat League and Final Fantasy XIV for a test drive, alongside games like Dynasty Warriors, Joysound VR, Summer Lesson and a game based on the popular Vita series, Danganronpa. In total, House said the PlayStation VR plans to launch with 10 games in 2016, though loads of developers (both big and small) have either shown off upcoming games or are known to be working on them.
According to House’ comments to Bloomberg, PS VR is an attractive platform for developers, especially indies.
VR rewrites the rule book on how you can create games. You’re seeing a large amount of interest and work happening among smaller teams, because it’s possible to create something VR that is very simple but still very magical.
We can’t really argue with that. The arrival of VR headsets is like the Wild West for developers. Even a small idea can seem big if it’s never been tried before, and those types of ideas typically pave the way to the future of similar titles. Also, if a developer wants to try something small and experimental and only charge $5-$15 bucks for it, they’re more likely to capture a more captive audience in these early goings, when fewer titles are readily available.
So, yes, Sony is banking on VR. But here’s the question, dear readers: Are you?
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