Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: entertainment, games, playstation, playstation 4, playstation vr, sony, video games

PlayStation VR Is The Cheapest High End VR But There Is Still Reason To Be Cautious

VR is happening. Whether the market is ready for it, or the tech is 100% on point, 2016 is the year high end VR headsets are going to gracing the rooms of gamers. The three high end VR headsets, the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR, have all marked their lines in the sand and we now know their release dates and prices. The Vive, with its ability to allow you to move in actual space is $799, the poster boy of PC VR, the Oculus Rift, will run you $599 and now the PlayStation VR has just announced its $399 price point.

If we are going by price alone, this is a case closed argument. The PlayStation 4 is selling like gangbusters in the mainstream with a huge base already installed. The idea of a plug and play VR set for that system, one that is much cheaper than its competitors, seems like a slam dunk, lights out victory.

…except, maybe it's not?

One of the things that I've quite admired about the Vive and Oculus pre-orders, in developer comments and how those appear to be scaling, is that they seem to know that for VR adoption to be entirely successful on their platforms, it probably shouldn't be shoved down everyone's throat as a 'buy now' proposition. This is not the Wii appearing on Oprah, where your grandma is going to be asking for a go at the bowling. This is for the uber-enthusiast early adopters, the kind that buy Titan graphics cards and have more RAM than you thought you could fit in a computer. This group is expanding considerably it should be noted, as this tech becomes more affordable as time goes on and PC gaming rises. Thus, with more game support and rising attainability, it feels like the PC side of things is playing a long game of gradual adoption.

In theory, PlayStation VR doesn't have that luxury. It's a major peripheral for a mainstream audience, jumping this tech from enthusiast to that daytime talk show spot. This thing needs to sell from the get go and continue to sell in the coming months. I have no doubt that Sony have garnered an impressive launch line-up with more VR specific games coming in the future. This does lead into my biggest worry about this particular platform though, and it's one of openness. Sony are the gatekeepers here. Every game that ever comes to the PlayStation VR platform has to go through the company's publishing efforts, which is great for curation of only excellent quality titles. What it does do though is gate off developers and the huge base of work that the VR community have been creating for ages. Don't forget, the Oculus has been in circulation for years with its DK kits, and there are hundreds, nay thousands of titles ready to go day one on PC. Sure these are smaller indie games, but they're there and lots of them are really good. On top of that, existing in the grey, you have the fact that that there is a very enthusiastic community out there modding games for VR headset already. Look for VR versions of Skyrim or GTA V on YouTube, and you will see that these have been circulating for years. While not officially sanctioned, and quality will vary, that is an option for PC VRers who really want to get in the weeds. PSVR adopters won't have that choice. Only what Sony and AAA developers allow on this platform goes, and that takes a game going through multiple check between submission and marketplace, making the process more busy when compared to independently releasing on PC.

The final problem of this conundrum, at least for me, and it is one more of caution than anything, is Sony's track record for peripherals and gaming tech that hasn't immediately taken off. The PlayStation Move, the Eyetoy, Vita TV, even the PS Vita itself (which don't mistake me, I think is a wonderful system), none of them were huge successes in their first few months, and despite a lot of enthusiasm from the company before launch, two years later and a lot of those were suffering from a major lack of content. I know Sony are aware of this, and I've seen the list of the developers that they're working with on VR titles for PSVR. I'm encouraged by that. I think this is the most excited I've seen them for a piece of gaming hardware that isn't the PlayStation 4 in a long time. But history is something that must be overcome if I'm to believe that we will still be getting incredible experiences from major developers three years after the PSVR launch.

I will end by saying that none of this has anything to do with quality. I really enjoyed the PlayStation VR when I used it last. At this price range, it's easily the best bang for your buck, and its a marvel that Sony are offering it at this price. I also think it's great that the tech will be in so many hands with it coming to a mainstream audience. VR is a legitimate experience and one you should really try if you can. I do however think there is more than a few reasons to be skeptical of this venture by Sony that I don't share for the PC devices. I like what Sony have done with the PlayStation VR, but I worry if this is not an insta-hit, console VR could fade.

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