PlayStation VR is Sony's first venture in the world of VR, which is why it is abundantly clear that company doesn’t want to ruin any chance its headset has on success. While Oculus Rift and HTC Vive can already boast long lists of games, crated specifically for them, Sony is lagging a bit behind in this respect.

Nevertheless, CEO of Sony, Kazuo Hirai claimed that company has around 200 developers, who work relentlessly on creation of 100 truly immersive games for PlayStation VR. In the light of the hype surrounding spring release of Rift, Sony opted to play the waiting game, announcing the release of PlayStation VR this summer.

Although those who already own PS4 are disappointed due to the delay of the release, Sony knows that the only thing that will ensure success of PlayStation VR in terms of popularity is an impressive list of the exclusive games. Therefore, company decided to delay release until it can make at least 100 games for PlayStation VR available for the buyers.

Advantage of PlayStation VR over Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus Rift said that PlayStation VR «isn't quite as high-end» as the Oculus Rift, however, many people have already gave up on getting the Rift due to the incredibly high price of the device itself and of PC components required for its work, and preferred to wait for PlayStation VR instead. «High-end» Rift was already dubbed «a toy for one percenters» as the overwhelming majority of potential consumers will not have the means to buy it.


Oculus and HTC have recently revealed the requirements for using their headsets and it instantly became clear that only precious few of the gamers’ community would be able to afford the set up. Price per desktop, needed to run both headsets goes up to $1500 and that does not include the price for the device itself, which for the Rift will be $600 as it was announced on January 6th, when pre-ordering began.

PlayStation VR will run exclusively on PS 4, which is way more affordable than the above-mentioned PC set ups required for Rift and Vive, and currently retails for only $350 – granted, not too cheap, but still affordable to a wider audience.

Apart from that, PS4 presence in the homes of thousands of people makes a solid ground for the arrival of PlayStation VR. Thus, even if the price of the device itself will be steep or even equal to that of the Rift, it will still be cheaper than Rift or Vive + PCs that are required for their work.

PS4 VR Headset Outlook

Sony really spent time on creation of elegant white edging curved screen with integrated LED-illumination. As opposed to Rift and Vive, PlayStation VR doesn’t have a strap that goes from forehead to the neck. Instead, it has a mall cap that ensures comfortable and secure wear. The absence of that straps helps user to wear his headphones more comfortably. Another advantage of the device itself is in its light weigh – Rift and Vive are considerably heavier. Moreover, due to the opening
between face and screen, players do not experience motion sickness.

Read this: Razer OSVR – Democratic approach to virtual reality

Tech Specs

PlayStation VR boasts of a Full HD 1080p OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 100-degree field of view. PlayStation 4 processes games and streams them to the connected PlayStation VR. Apart from the PS4 console there is a mini box that holds the keys of immersive 3D rendering. This box can be connected to a monitor or TV and show what user, wearing headset, is experiencing in the game. This is another advantage of PlayStation VR, because Rift and Vive are not that living room friendly.

Due to the integrated LED lights PlayStation 4 can track the movements and position of the player via PlayStation Camera that is capable of tracking PlayStation VR at 1000 times per second ensuring impeccable immersive experience. Moreover, user can turn his head 360 degrees to see the game at any angle. Seamless performance is achieved due to the sensor, installed in the back of the headset. Sensor helps PlayStation Camera to determine when you are looking backwards.

Controllers

Owners of PS4 VR Headset will have a decent selection of controllers. The primary controller will undoubtedly be DualShock 4. DualShock 4 gamepad is motion-sensitive, trackable by PlayStation Camera via integrated light bar and possesses already known layout. PlayStation VR owners will also be able to use familiar PlayStation Move wand controllers. Initial tests of using PlayStation VR with these controllers showed promising results. If everything goes as planned, this combination may revive the motion control era.

Last thought on Sony PlayStation VR headset

The Sony PlayStation VR definitely has its advantages: in terms of hardware needed for headset usage it takes the cake, as PlayStation 4 costs only $350 as opposed to $1500 PCs required for usage of Rift or Vive.

Due to fact that many users already have PS4 – they will need to buy only headset, making PlayStation VR much more affordable for the wide audience. At the moment there may not be as many games for Sony ps4 headset as there are for Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, nevertheless Sony chose to wait till the hype surrounding Oculus Rift dissipates, meanwhile concentrating its efforts on creation of multitude of qualitative games, exclusive for ps4 gaming headset.