Does PSVR Have What It Takes To Compete With The VR Big Boys?

And so at last, Sony have lifted the veil on the release and price of the eagerly anticipated PlayStation VR HMD. With a price of £349 / €399 / $399 and a release date set for October the Sparks are wild with excitement for Sony’s addition to 2016’s VR releases.

The specs look promising, and as expected, Sony’s contender won’t be able to deliver an experience to match it’s bigger brothers who harness the power of PC to deliver their brands of VR… However, with the specs it does have, the all important existing install base, Sony’s focus on VR as a social experience and of course that all important much more accessible price point, does that matter?

Could we see the leaner and cheaper option being the VR entry point into VR that many have longed for.

The Sparks debate this and wonder if, when concentrating on what PlayStation VR has and what it offers, opposed to just looking at differences between it and the other two big players on the scene, that perhaps Sony is releasing a David amongst us that, if the experience delivered meets expectation, will stand head and shoulders against the Goliath of it’s more powerful siblings resting upon its own very relevant attributes of harnessing that existing PS4 install base, bang for buck and of course, the incredibly positive developer support it has from being part of Sony’s Playstation brand – over 230 devs at time of going to press.

[Overload]

PlayStation is a very strong brand worldwide and has 10x the systems capable of using PSVR, while coming in at the lowest price.

You got things mixed up.

[G20WLY]

Not only that - have you seen the support it's already garnered!? PS VR is set to be the most successful commercially, surely!

[amiga-man]

Simple answer yes and is set to prove it.

[piroh]

Plus PSVR has the biggest support from developers

edit: g20wly you was quicker than me :)

[deanparadise]

@G20WLY and @G20WLY Not sure where you're getting that from.

Oculus has at least 250+ games currently in developement or released.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

PSVR has less than 100 confirmed:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

I know neither list is conclusive, but just because PSVR has 200+ developers signed on, doesn't mean it has more support.

[G20WLY]

^Not sure why you didn't reply to my comment, dean, but I'll answer your questions.

I'm getting it from Sony's press releases. The Wiki list is not up-to-date, since Sony has confirmed over 150 games cooking, with 50 out this year. Bear in mind how long Oculus has been around for. Now consider the comparison and you'll get where I'm going.

It's not just about the support though, but the price and the potential install base as well as ease of use. All those factors lean strongly in Sony's favour - it's not about preference, it's just how it is.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Dean- you're not really factoring that many who are making those PC titles will likely port them to PS4 considering PSVR.

Do you think Sony is going to port their titles to PC to work on OR?

Unless they bought some teams, Sony will have the edge in numbers as independent teams are no longer this rare thing on console.

Anything made on PC by such a team, is likely on its way to PS4. Such development is costly and clearly they need to be seeking a return on other platforms, why not the one that has the largest install base of VR? I mean...it would make sense.

PSVR by default will have the majority just based on Sony's own teams, unless Oculus Rift buys up some teams, I see Sony having the edge in numbers.

Even if we count community mods on the PC's side that are not really fully supported, PSVR already works as a display for EVERY PS4 game by default. We are not even factoring the titles that could SIMPLY update to work with PSVR in regards to replacing the joystick for head movement.

Consider for a developer to get a bump in sales, they could just update their game to just work on the movement of head tracking and they would get more sales. ie Dying Light could just update with that and the cost the spent merely adding that would come back tenfold from sales.

I fully expect some existing titles to add the feature for more sales.

[bouzebbal]

Last time i checked the preorders, they showed PSVR is a BIG BOY and all others are pale in comparison.

[skydragoonityx]

the psvr is a "big boy" already

[ZeroX9876]

It got the price I'm willing to pay in total to get the VR experience. The price is what's making it an easy decision for me.

I know the rift offers a more in-depth experience when you look at the hardware specs, but I just can't afford one. I hope to get a chance to try them both someday :)

[_-EDMIX-_]

LOL! Agreed.

Larger install base, lowest price and strongest history in gaming in comparison...

I mean....they are the "Big Boys" lol

[ArchangelMike]

What are you talking about??? You've got that whole scenario the wrong way round. What you should be discussing is if Occulus and HTC have the marketing might to compete with Sony?

For example, does Occulus and Vive have the retail presence to compete with Sony's retail presence? Do Occulus and Vive have a brand name that is as recognisable in the gaming space? Can they compete on the exclusive games front - they have no first party studios, and Sony has how many? Can they compete in terms of third party partnerships - for example, how did Sony score Star Wars Battlefront Excusivity so quickly, when HTC Vive had a deal for Battlefront Trials of Tatooine?

The question really should be how can HTC Vive and Occulus ensure that they remain relevant to the mass market in light of the ease of entry and affordability of the PSVR.

[Pandamobile]

Well they're coming out half a year ahead of PS VR...

[Overload]

To a fraction of the userbase.

Less than 1%' of PCs can run virtual reality

http://www.bbc.com/news/tec...

By October the PS4 could be closing in on 50 million VR capable machines.

That's a big deal.

[Pandamobile]

You're talking about 1% of over a billion machines worldwide. Most of which have no gaming capabilities whatsoever.

Either way, this is just the beginning of VR. Hardware sales are entirely irrelevant from this equation because this is just the first wave of devices and content which is aimed at tech enthusiasts with deep pockets. With the rate at which GPUs are progressing, in a few years, practically every off the shelf desktop and most laptops with have enough horse power for VR.

[Overload]

No, I think accessibility is a big deal for the first wave and price of course.

About GPU's in a few years you're correct. But then were talking PS5 and with the amount of marketshare the PS4 is controlling, the PS5 could be massive, if rolled out right.

@uth11

That too.

[uth11]

That doesn't matter.

Look at the whole "Nothing exists until Apple invents it" syndrome. Not many people cared about portable MP3 players until Apple released the iPod, or tablet computers (which existed) before the iPad.

Marketing muscle matters.

[kneon]

@Pandamobile

Yes in a few years many of the PCs sold will be VR capable. But the problem is non-gamers are buying fewer and fewer PCs. They get by with phones and tablets, so they are more likely to use Gear VR or PSVR than to go out and buy a PC for VR.

[Pandamobile]

And that's fine. VR is going to be successful wherever it lands.

The collective of N4G seems to think that PSVR is the be-all-to-end-all solution, and only it stands a shot of being successful. More platforms, more devices = more games.

[starchild]

@Overload

Nonsense. You think the PS4 can run VR, but PCs that outperform the PS4 in traditional games are going to be unable to run games in VR? Get real.

The GTX 970 set of specs is for high end VR. Weaker PCs will certainly be able to run simpler VR games just fine.

Something like a GTX 750 ti has proven to be a fairly close match to the PS4 in current gen games and it will do the same in VR. Now count up all the sales of any Nvidia graphics card equal to the GTX 750ti or higher, then do the same for the equivalent AMD cards. We're talking many millions of gaming PCs capable of VR at PS4's level or higher. And of course new graphics cards come out every year, so those numbers are only going to go up. It's going to get easier and easier to run high end VR on PCs.

[Overload]

@starchild

Take that up with the BBC.

[TFJWM]

@starchild So your saying that PC gamers that don't have a rig that meet the min specs of Rift or Vive is going to go out and drop 600 or 800 on VR just in case their weaker than recommended PC is going to be able to handle some of the weakest VR games. I don't see that happening...

[starchild]

Yes, I'm sure plenty will. Once the consumer Rift is out in the wild we'll have a better idea what hardware can run what VR games.

I'm sure that lots of PCs with lower specs than the recommended will be able to play many of the same games the PS4 will play. The recommended specs will allow you to get a good experience in even the more advanced VR games.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@uth11- Amazing point! It matters not who comes out first.

Did Sony not release first with motion tech? Yet MS and Nintendo did better in that regard.

This is simply, who has the install base, price, marketing.

The PC's install base in that regard is just so much against it being any threat to PSVR.

I love to see folks little "VS" articles in terms of tech as if that matters.

People think those PC's that were beefed up mattered to a working PS3 or 360 last gen?

How about this gen?

Do folks realize that being the BEST and doesn't actually mean having BETTER sales.

I mean....the worlds best burger is likely not from McDonald's, but we are not talking about the best folks ,we are talking about money and sales.

In that regards, having the best price and working hardware and install base to boot will warrant those sales.

You don't see NASA computers moving hundreds of millions of units folks.

[Timesplitter14]

While I do agree that the article kinda has the situation backwards, and that PSVR is far from being the one that is threatened, I don't think marketing power is a problem for Vive/SteamVR.

Don't forget that Valve has Steam, which is by very far the biggest gaming platform in the world. And they also have the top 2-3 most profitable games on Steam, with esports tournaments that have 18 million dollar prize pools.

Valve has enough money to buy the Earth, and it's an extremely well-loved and respected company. Their only problem is that they made the Vive too expensive. I don't think it is over-priced, because $800 is pretty much what it takes to make high-quality VR, but it is definitely too expensive for what people are ready to pay now, and they don't have much more than tech demos to show off for it.

[tontontam0]

@starchild

by your logic, ps4 would still dominate the first generation of VR gaming. even with crappy graphics compared to htc and oculus rift.

[AudioEppa]

Huh...?

I'm pretty sure they are one of the big boys, stupid article title, but I'm sure you already knew that... Anything for a few hits lmao

[vikingland1]

I agree, SONY is definatly one of the big boys.

[Timesplitter14]

PSVR will undoubtedly win this round even though it is very clearly the lesser of all three in terms of quality.

Oculus and Vive are way too expensive, and they don't have a cult following ready to buy them out of loyalty like the PSVR has

[iliimaster]

pc will allow porn im sure and that wins

[timmyp53]

Sony's system has already been confirmed to be getting a media update that supports VR videos(porn eventually)... so killer app?

Confirmation pics : http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

[Timesplitter14]

Videos in VR are kinda pointless. Anyone that is familiar with VR development will tell you it's a bad idea, because it moves your view around without you moving your own head. What VR needs is actual 3D worlds in which you can move around.

I fully expect VR videos to be the kind of thing that comes as a launch app for VR because it seemed like a cool idea at first, but that quickly gets abandoned as people realize that it's actually just a terrible idea.

The first year of VR will be full of those failed experiments, I think. People will start to understand that some things work in VR, and some things don't work at all. I'm sure we'll see people trying to force cutscenes and locked camera angles in VR, because they won't understand that VR is a different medium with different limitations

[starchild]

Passive porn. But will Sony allow interactive VR porn on the PS4?

[BABY-JEDI]

So do you get VR tissues with this? LoL 😂

[nitus10]

@Timesplitter14

Where did you get that idea?

When you are in cinema mode will see what the video or game projects as if it were to a HDTV or monitor. Basically no matter where you turn your head you will still see the same image.

[Timesplitter14]

@nitus
"Where did you get that idea? "
I got this idea from being a VR game developer for over 1 year, and personally experiencing how terrible VR movies/cutscenes are

"Basically no matter where you turn your head you will still see the same image."
And that's precisely what's wrong about it. Anytime you move your head (or don't move your head) and your view doesn't match the movement (or absense of movement) perfectly, it creates headaches, motion sickness, and overall weirdness. Google any article about "VR game design tips" from Oculus, Valve and PSVR and they will tell you the same

Then there's also the fact that the apparent resolution is too low to enjoy a movie in VR right now. It may be close to 1080p, but your eyes are so close to the screen that you can distinctly see every single pixel separated by thin black lines

[timmyp53]

We will see.

[timmyp53]

PS4 can support 360 videos through media app though. What is the formatted video type for oculus/pc porn?

[Free_Fro]

The way I see it.. the low spec'd PS VR is suited for the console it's compatible with..

The media is quick to create a 'VR war' 'nd it's going to stick.

PSVR is for the console audience.

The advanced VR (Vive, Oculus ) is for the PC enthusiast . .

-
you can settle for PSVR obviously if you can't afford to get the best.

I think the best experience will be in the PC space. Open support. Advanced tech.

--
X'O

[nitus10]

My desktop PC which I built myself (Skylake chip-set) is fairly top of the range and from a hardware perspective would easily support the VR headsets, although there is one issue that I am not willing to compromise on. I refuse to downgrade my operating system to Microsoft Windows 10. Of course I could run it in a virtual machine, however I see no compelling reason to do so.

Personally I will stick to what will work with my PS4 and that is the PSVR headset, which I will get eventually. Cost wise for my PS4 plus PSVR (when I get it) and associated peripherals will be less then half what I paid for my PC and I have not even factored in the price of a PC VR headset.

[Eonjay]

PSVR is the big boy.

[Wallstreet37]

Only arm chair analysts, fanboy editors and flame bait/hit wanting submitters are posing a frivolous question like this lol After the price reveal and what PSVR is offering at thaty price almost all the professional analysts are in agreement "Sony has the upper hand and are going to corner the VR market easily"

[AgentSmithPS4]

Why do I keep hearing that these "elite" PC VR headsets have more screen door effect more often than the PSVR? If I spent that much for a fancy gaming PC there's no way I'd accept that. Are they just "paper tigers" with specs that look good but can't actually compete? Not to mention the uncomfortable "diving masks" strapped to your face.

[nitus10]

I suppose we could relate it to UHDTV's verses HDTV's.

Comparing the two resolutions with appropriate content on equal sized large screens, the difference is so obvious the UHD device wins hands down. Now compare UHD to HD with appropriate content on equal sized small (ie. less then 6") screens and normal human vision would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

When you are looking at small screens which have resolutions that human vision can hardly distinguish the difference, what is more important is the refresh rate which is in Hertz and the higher the refresh rate the better. This is why gaming monitors have refresh rates from 90 Hz upwards.

As for 'uncomfortable "diving masks" strapped to your face'. I personally can't comment since I have not tried them, however I have tried 3D active shutter glasses (came with my 3D TV) and I don't think I could wear them for much longer then 2 hours at a sitting which was about the length of the longest 3D move I have watched.

[Dspdspes]

My biggest fear is the lifespan of the product. I dont want to buy another in 5-7 years when the ps5 comes....

[joeorc]

@Dspdspes + 9m ago
My biggest fear is the lifespan of the product. I dont want to buy another in 5-7 years when the ps5 comes.

Think about this for a sec..what is the driving engine for the playstation VR headset? Remember reprojection is don all from the PS4 not the HMD..

You really think that the HMD that Sony is putting out for the PS4 could not be useable on the PS5?

Just like the playstation move controllers are usable on the both the PS3 & PS4..

Thing to remember is that the PlayStation living room console is not designed to keep up with what the PC market is doing, its designed to keep up with the console market is doing.

[Dspdspes]

I know what you mean, but there is always the possibility of a "better more powerful" product in the future. I dont hate tech, but i love my wallet, lol.
And i am pro sony all the way, is just a preoccupation.

Time will tell, im only slighty worried, thats all

[BlackTar187]

5-7 years is an eternity in the tech world.

[tontontam0]

Not for long 2020 estimated end of moore's law, I hope that's not true.

[BlackTar187]

i disagree with that date.

[nitus10]

Well if it any consolation we have pretty much reached the limits of what a human can see, hear and react too, so it may be possible in the foreseeable future to have something like the Sword Art On-line VR helmet. Just make sure that that 10,000V wire next to your head is properly insulated, we wouldn't want any accidents. :-)

[iNathan]

Lol big boys? more like small boys... When you talk gaming PlayStation is the big boy you ignorant, stupid article.

[PortalOfAwesome]

(From a VR Developer)

PSVR VS Oculus/Vive(PC) have very little crossover, and are almost not in competition at all. (Most PS4 gamers don't have a beefy PC)

PSVR is great device running on a machine with limited power. However PSVR has the luxury of one-size-fits-all for developers, who can craft each scene to run perfectly on the PS4 without any worries about certain machines dropping frames (Frame-Drop = Nausea). PSVR is going to do very very well.

However when it comes to the Oculus Vs. Vive battle, then things get interesting. Oculus is rocking the mobile-VR space with the Gear, and they have no worries at all there. Their flagship headset for PC is promising. Vive is just absolutely killer, and no other VR set can compare. The capabilities of Vive bring it far beyond just gaming (though the optional room-space features open up an unbelievable opportunity for developers to change entertainment forever).
The accuracy, lack of latency, and clarity of the Vive makes it a viable option for creative applications. Just look at "Tilt Brush" as a very early example of this. Just viewing and manipulating a 3D model in a virtual environment with Vive (Walking around the model, moving and rotating it with the controllers) is a game changing experience for creators. But soon you will be able to sculpt, extrude, texture, etc and create models and environments live directly in VR. Games and experiences in VR so far have been very enjoyable, but the small amount of creative applications have literally been mind-blowing.

[DivineAssault]

Its going to do what it needs to for now.. If VR takes off, PS5 might have a better one

[BABY-JEDI]

The next model of PSVR is in development. Sony are in for the long haul. PSVR will be built into the foundations of PS5. What will be exciting will be the new features & controllers of motion detection. This will be so facking awesome. 😍 Right up there with 2001 space odyssey awesome

[DivineAssault]

Lets hope it takes off and they finalize the production.. I have good faith in what theyre doing its not just flooded with shooters..

[BABY-JEDI]

I've just seen footage of Dreams on Kinda Funny (VR will be a feature). This game will progress & flourish in VR. Sony isn't by any means all about shooters. You'll have a varied gaming gallery at your disposal. If U have the money LoL😄

[joeorc]

This is the same Question about Game console's vs PC's..can they compete over time? The answer is yes. Because even though PC is the more robust hardware, its the games you cannot find on console's that are only released on PC's and its the games only on console's that you would not find on PC.

Its not really about power if a console vs PC because console's can really never win that at all anyway , because console's are a fixed platform they are designed to be that way from the get go for static stable hardware profile, so as to remain in a set support cycle of that console platform so as developers can concentrate on being able to avoid variance in having to take into account multiple variable hardware setups like there is in PC's

Its not released to be like the PC with a variable set platform upgradeable hardware host like the PC is . that's why Console systems that are designed along the same as single board computers like the early day of home computing. The very points of when apple made their very 1st PC installed into under the keyboard and it hooked up to a monitors or PC equivalence like Amiga's 1000's, Atari 800XL a single board icerp board PC. Today desktop PC can be tower PC with slot loadable graphic cards like for the past 38 years. But again Game console's are designed as single board PC's with set hardware in order to be price friendly in the market and are designed living room computer entertainment compute systems.

[uth11]

Sony IS the big boy here.

They have decades of marketing games and game hardware and have an impressive ecosystem.

Valve has the software eco system, but they are kinda new to the hardware side

Facebook doesn't have a ton of experience in either.

[craig2web]

PSVR FTW

[Bathyj]

Enough with the outer difference crap. Pc is more powerful than PS4 but that hasn't stopped it from selling record numbers. Most people don't have a capable of running Occulus and Vive anyway so their market is limited and shared between the two of them.

Sony has console gamers all to themselves. By the time PSVR is out that will be 50 million PS4 owners. Think about that.

PSVR will outsell Occulus and Vive combined just like PS4 is outselling Xbox and WiiU.

[amnalehu]

And without a single retail consumer prototype out in the wild, just who are these big boys that Sony is trying to compete with?

[Pandamobile]

Oculus Rift and the Vive?

They both launch in the next few weeks.

[amnalehu]

But they haven't launched YET! What makes them the "BIg Boys"? Because they have a big boy price tag?

[Wallstreet37]

http://www.tomshardware.com...

[Tsunade]

Yes and is going to prove it.

Facts...

All pre orders sold out in 25 seconds on Europe.

PSVR camera and move controllers sales skyrocket.

And that is just in 2 days of the announcement.

[DarXyde]

Oculus Rift:"Hey, little bro. We have to make a strong impression on the world if we're ever gonna make it big."

PSVR: "Yeah, I know, guys. I won't let you down."

HTC Vive: "PSHAHAHAHAHAHA! You hear that, Rift? He won't let us down, he says!"

Oculus Rift: "Heyyyy, be nice! I'm sure somewhere in there, he's got a powerful potenti---hahahaha, aw, who am I kidding? PSVR, you'll never be relevant or strong enough to get the attention we've got. Come back in a generation or so when you've got some muscle! You can't possibly be the reason VR takes off! HAHAHA!"

PSVR: "Hold my beer. Watch this."

[AgentSmithPS4]

Weak.

[WickedLester]

You have the title completely backwards. The question you should be asking is "Does Occulus and HTC have what it takes to compete with the PSVR juggernaut." PSVR will absolutely own the home VR market almost as soon as it launches.

[AgentSmithPS4]

Yep, it's easy to use, more comfortable than the others, less screen door effect, relatively cheap, good quality, and fun. The masses will choose PSVR. I may get the Vive eventually but I'll only buy it once PC VR advances enough to where there's a huge gap in quality.