PlayStation Makes High-End VR More Affordable

HTC and Oculus Rift currently market themselves as the flagship virtual reality experience, offering proximity sensors and console controllers to maximize the technology’s potential — as long as you’re willing to shell out $500-plus for the devices plus games. Virtual reality viewers like Google Cardboard are an entry point for VR before getting into Samsung Gear and Google’s upcoming Daydream headsets, priced around $100.

Filling in the void is PlayStation VR, the mid-range option at $400. As with many new technologies, you truly get what you pay for. Compared to HTC and Oculus, PlayStation VR is lagging in hardware specs, most notably the field of view which isn’t as immersive as its more expensive competitors. The differences are minute though, only noticeable when doing a side-by-side comparison. Sony’s headset is well designed and comfortable, but the most important area where PlayStation beats the competition is games, thanks to the company’s history as a console manufacturer. While virtual reality has been around for a while, there hasn’t been a killer app that drives mainstream consumers into the market.

Techies and gamers are willing to pay for the cutting-edge experience, but for the medium to truly take off, it needs to provide content the average person can identify with. Sony addresses this problem by offering a free demo disc with each headset, allow people to try out familiar titles instead of disappointing offerings from indie developers. Games include EVE: Valkyrie and Resident Evil 7, but the most promising title is Batman: Arkham VR, which promises to bring the most immersive Batman experience ever to video games.