Virtual reality technology has been generating strong marketing excitement with users excited to test the experience. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive retail in the £500 mark, Sony's Playstation VR is expected to be the real game-changer.
Kotaku reports that Sony is taking a big risk with retailing the Playstation VR between the £349 and £390 mark. At face value the Playstation VR retail price does not seem commensurate to the development cost of the virtual reality technology for Sony.
Two weeks ago, we revealed PS VR's price. Tomorrow at 7am PT, US core system preorders open: https://t.co/b9ys2dianIhttps://t.co/oIcIXeglC7
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 28, 2016
The cost clincher for the Playstation VR is the added processor which gives the PSVR a social screen. Sony decided to go with the extra processor on the strength of pushing the Playstation VR as technology that brings people together rather than espouse isolation. This feature is an exclusive for the Playstation VR.
PS Blogcast 203 is live! We talk FFXV, Severed, Wayward Sky for PS VR, and lots more: https://t.co/uJnBah7jrP pic.twitter.com/ReUJxRPX6e — PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 1, 2016
Despite a ready market base, sales will be a wait-and-see situation for a while. The Playstation VR sale to a possible 35 million PS4 market will reportedly be the first time that virtual reality technology will be used by a considerable volume of users. According to Shuhei Yoshida, who is the Sony Worldwide Studios president, is confident that the company will be able to earn back the cost of production at the very least.
"We knew we wanted high quality first, and then our target was around the same price range of a new console launch - specifically, around £399, which was the PS4's launch price," Shuhei Yoshida said. "We were very happy that the hardware guys were able to make it happen."
#EVEValkyrie will support cross-platform play between the #OculusRift #PlayStationVR and #HTCVive pic.twitter.com/XQBcJuwg8s
— EVE: Valkyrie (@EVEValkyrie) April 21, 2016
Shuhei Yoshida highlighted that Sony prioritised hitting a technical target with the Playstation VR. This was the priority in bringing PSVR to the market rather than earning a cool profit.
The gamble may already be paying off for Sony even before the Playstation VR has even hit the market. Already Polygon proposes that "Eve Valkyrie" by CCP Games may be best played with the Playstation VR. The media outlet point to the price, the material, the make and the design of the Playstation VR among the winning features of the Sony's PSVR.
