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Sony has announced the retail price and launch date for its next virtual reality system for the PlayStation. The PS5-exclusive platform comes with some advanced tech and is a much upgraded piece of hardware compared to its predecessor. But all this comes at a price, because the PlayStation VR2 is retailing for $549.99 / €599.99 / £529.99.PlayStation fans have let their unhappiness show about the high cost. "I'm not paying £530 for a headset that cost more than the console itself," commented one underneath the announcement Tweet."With no backwards compatibility, it's really hard to swallow this price tag," commented another on the PS5 subreddit, in a thread on the news. Others have pointed out that in order to use the system, which requires tethering to a PS5, players will have to fork out a thousand dollars to use it, and that's before even buying a game for it.
However, the PS VR2 is a pretty advanced piece of kit and its price is in fact quite competitive compared to similar virtual reality systems. Specs-wise, it's sporting high-resolution OLED HDR video (2000 x 2040 per eye), a panel refresh rate of 90Hz, 120Hz; as well as headset feedback, eye tracking, 3D audio, and adaptive triggers and haptic feedback from the PS VR2's Sense controllers.
These specs haven't gone unnoticed and PlayStation fans have been weighing them up against the price. "That's maybe $50 more than I was expecting but not too far off. I'm surprised to see so many people taken aback by that price tag. VR is expensive. Especially when the headset has specs as good as this," wrote one commenter.
It's true. VR doesn't come cheap. For example, the Valve Index is $999 and that's not including the PC you'll need to have in order to use it (and it has a lower resolution display compared to the PS VR2). The highest-resolution PC VR headset the HP Reverb G2 is $599. However, there are cheaper options.
One of the most popular VR systems is the Meta Quest 2, which is $400 and is also one of the easiest to use since it's completely wireless and can be used as a standalone headset or can be connected to a PC to play titles such as the excellent Half-Life: Alyx. But the Meta Quest 2 does feature a lower field-of-view as well as lower resolution and a less vivid and bright screen than PS VR2. The original PS VR also came in cheaper, retailing at $400, although its successor is a much more advanced system.
Time will tell how successful Sony's new VR system will be, but the original PS VR sold five million units as of January 2020, which for a VR headset isn't too shabby. But these gadgets do remain relatively niche and one of the biggest problems remains the high price as well as the specialised use cases for them. It might be some time yet before VR becomes more mainstream, and with the PS VR2 priced as it is, it'll be a good test case for how popular it'll prove.
Meanwhile, Sony unveiled 11 new games for the PS VR2 including The Dark Pictures: Switchback and After The Fall, besides the previously announced Horizon Call of the Mountain and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. The PlayStation VR2 launches on February 22, 2023, and pre-orders are live in a couple of weeks on November 15.