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PlayStation VR will launch in October 2016 at $399.
The internet exploded earlier today when Sony announced an incredible price-point and holiday-shopping-centric launch window for it’s long-awaited virtual reality system.
“Incredible” being relative of course. At $399, this is still a significant investment for Gary Gamer and his buddy Joe Sixpack. But for Earnie Early-Adopter (his parents never married and decided to hyphenate his combined surnames), PlayStation VR is pennies compared to Oculus ($599) and HTC’s Vive ($799).
Sony’s press conference was brief. High-level specs, then the price, then a quick mention of dedicated support for, and from, developers around the world. It was a truncated version of the PS4 reveal and clearly, that formula is working.
Undercutting the virtual reality competition so significantly achieves three things:
- Continues to build upon Sony’s enormous goodwill among gamers, and now VR-enthusiasts. Many will interpret today’s reveal as a gesture for us. As if we’re getting a family-and-friends discount.
- Puts the onus back on Oculus and Vive to educate consumers that their products are $200 or $400 more sophisticated. A tough sell, for sure.
- Swings a round-house kick to Nintendo’s open jaw.
The Nintendo NX-killer?
Everyone but Nintendo has been talking about the NX for months! Gamers around the world are genuinely excited to see Nintendo make a comeback and show us something incredible. And even though nobody expects Nintendo to return to virtual reality anytime soon (RIP VirtuaBoy), they just lost millions of gamer dollars to Sony. Again.
At $399, PSVR doesn’t just compete for virtual-reality consumer mind share, it competes for console mind share. Without knowing the NX price, one can assume it may lie somewhere between the Xbox One and PS4. So with that in mind, how many $399 gaming purchases do you plan on making this year?
Tens of millions have already been convinced that PlayStation is the best place to play – meaning Sony is well-positioned to offer an enhanced way to play to its dedicated fan-base. Nintendo, on the other hand, is reeling. There is plenty of work ahead to bring gamers back – a far more difficult (and expensive) proposition.
Today’s announcement by Sony is going to be remembered for years. It’s impact on the virtual reality market is undeniable and obvious. Outside of that, PlayStation VR could be the non-gaming console that kills Nintendo’s next system before it even comes out. Heck, before it’s even announced! Mario’s makers need to announce something big and soon to convince gamers to stop opening their wallets for Sony.
A giant kudos to Sony – but Nintendo needs to wake up. Sony’s been holding a grudge since the N64.
Pretty sure you mean Sony has been holding a grudge since SNES when they were supposed to make the Nintendo PlayStation SNES CD system, until Nintendo backed out and partnered with Phillips instead.
Thanks for reading! I had written that originally but thought the reference might be lost on some. You’re right, the grudge goes further back but the two have been active product competitors since the N64 – that’s all I meant.
What a fan-boy click-bait article. PSVR is a huge and expensive gimmick, inferior to the other VR systems on the market in every way. To assume it’s going to cut into NX sales is completely outrageous and baseless in every way, especially when we don’t know the NX prices or what the systems prices will.
Thank you for reading. You have to consider how households make purchasing decisions in order to understand the complexity of competition. There’s product-based competition, which is what you’re referring to, and there is a more broad spectrum of competition, which is what I’m referring to. My wife wants an NX, no matter what. Today’s announcement has me thinking I might want PSVR. We can’t have both. The two products, while fundamentally dissimilar, are competing for our dollar.
Yes I understand what your point was, but you are taking a huge leap to an assumption that you can not, at this point and time, make.
It because 34+ million people own a PS4 doesn’t mean they are at all going to be customers the NX. In fact in North America alone, according to Nielsen, less than 20% of households own more than one console. That’s a small % of those 34 million PS4 owners that would be interested in buying a console.
Then you have PSVR, a completely niche product which costs as much as a console it’s self. It’s a huge assumption to assume people are going to adopt it at that price point. PSVR is also a far cry from the capabilities of the Rift, especially when you take into account the horse power of the systems running the games.
It will probably sell in decent numbers for the Ps4 but vr in the long run will go the same way as 3d. Hardly anyone watches 3d movies at home can’t imagine people wanting to put on a uncomfortable heavy headset on to play games and get disorientated. Vr in gaming will go same way as motion controls & kinetic, as for the nx im hoping it is a hybrid console/handheld like a few rumours say, if it is i can see it selling alot and overtaking xbox one in sales becoming sonys main challenger.
I’m buying one….no doubt.
lmao lets be real here this welfare VR headset isn’t touching Oculus and Vive
The overwhelming support is incredible!!!
“PlayStation VR is pennies compared to Oculus ($699) and HTC’s Vive ($799).”
Actually Oculus is only $599.
Thank you for catching that. It is now fixed.
yep count me in