Sony's already won the next console war thanks to PSVR

Sony skipped gaming’s biggest event, E3, this year and Microsoft pounced. Xbox stormed the stage with a veritable bevvy of announcements about new games and services, and a slew of details about its next generation console — dubbed Project Scarlett. It was a fantastic showing for what will surely be the next generation’s console war loser.

[Spurg]

Unless they have AAA-caliber game on there, its a no from me.
Plus a couple of minutes into VR game me a headache.

[chris235]

i feel sorry for your fragility. psvr is the best thing since chocolate.

[mikeslemonade]

VR isn’t gonna be in enough hands to reach critical mass. Think about it, you gotta pay $500-$600 for PS5 and then PSVR2 is gonna be another $300.

Sorry Sony is fighting a losing battle. I’m a fan of Sony, but traditional console setups are obsolete. It’s a dying breed already this gen.

[bouzebbal]

Sony should keep supporting it... Playstation for me is where variety is at.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Here's something interesting. This person or group has made a tribute to Ghost of Tsushima in Dreams.
https://youtu.be/PEVO90KGz9...

Look how good looking that is from amateurs. Just think what creations will be made in Dreams for VR gamers and once again, Microsoft has nothing to counter it. They had Project Spark that could have been their version that would have helped make games for VR as they used to want to have every Xbox be a development station. But nope.

So again, PSVR is showing and giving gamers something that Xbox and the next Xbox so far is not.

That's an amazing animation. Dreams is ridiculous. And we haven't even seen VR added to it. Just think when actual games are made.

Here's another example of awesomeness. Just imagine a VR update.
https://youtu.be/jH4txqmXvQ...

[Neonridr]

no.. VR is amazing, but it's essentially an add-on. A different way to play. It will never supplant traditional gaming, and PSVR definitely has its shortcomings. This is from someone who actually owns one and uses it.

[Dragonscale]

@neon, it has shortcomings now but its still early days, obviously the tech will improve over time. At least Sony is continuing to support vr unlike some other parties. Reckon psvr 2 is gonna be be amazing tbh...

[mikeslemonade]

The PS5 is just gonna be my exclusive box. Just like how the PS4 is right now. I only buy the exclusives. The difference is I will be moving to game pass next gen instead buying my pc games individually as much.

[SamPao]

they already have AAA in there. So....

[Lilrizky]

They already have quite a number of them.

[nowitzki2004]

looking for AAA caliber game?? then Xbox isnt for you

[darx]

AAA lol! Independent farts in AAA's general direction. Especially this generation. AAA lol!

[bouzebbal]

Moss
Astro boy
Re7
Rigs..

say hi...

[JackBNimble]

And soon No Man's Sky , and original psvr will be compatible with ps5 so that right there is boost for Sony.

[Dom_Estos]

Moss, Astro Bot and Rigs are not what you would call "AAA" in the traditional manner, and even at that, this so called "AAA" bollocks is just a overrated cliche industry buzzword these days. For example, Fallout 76 is a "AAA" game, and look at the fcking state of it. See what I mean.

No, those games on the PSVR are indy to mid tier titles, but by no means does that make then inferior or worse than the so called "AAA" flat mainstream garbage that's starting to all look the same these days. Oh, they've pretty visuals and animations, so what. A shit designed game is a shit designed game regardless of its budget. The likes of Astro Bot and Moss are fantastically well made and designed titles that have more charm than the majority of the big budget mainstream guff out there, thanks to the fact that what they offer is only possible via the medium of VR.

And for those saying VR is a peripheral and whatnot: you're wrong. VR is no peripheral. It's a platform in and of itself. As I said, the likes of Astro Bot's features are not possible on a TV screen. If you were to port Astro and Moss to a flat standard version, what have you got? An OK, but ultimately mediocre-looking indy title that you probably wouldn't give a second glance to. But play them in VR, and they suddenly transcend this and become something special. That's what VR does to games, and to neglect this fact is either very ignorant or short sighted. Sure, if it makes you sick, fair enough. But don't use that as a stick to beat the potential of this technology with. In the near future, VR headsets will be ubiquitous enough and have the functionality to be able to stream to without latency and will be wireless. Think about that for a second, and it's already being done on Quest. These things will eventually end up replacing your console and TV. Still want to game on a flat screen? No sweat, VR allows you to do that, but on the Moon, under the ocean, or in a cinema.

[Thundercat77]

Your headache hasn't stopped PSVR from dominating the VR market, recently having the first PSVR game in history to debute #1 on the UK charts, selling more than Sony expected and getting more support than anyone expected.

[FyBy]

PSVR is great, but not as a substitute for tv. Its complementary technology. But try something like super hot or beat saber in vr and you will know instantly, what is possible only in VR.

[Realms]

VR isn't mainstream yet but the technology is cool for what it is and has enough of a following to keep it alive, the only thing holding VR back at this point is the convenience factor. If and when wireless VR headsets hit the market Sony has positioned it's self for that. Say what you will but MS much like their lack of investment in AAA games MS will be playing catch up once VR really takes off, MS's lack of foresight has cost them every single generation IMO this is no different.

[rainslacker]

I guess this is about as valid as saying MS won the next gen because of Game Pass or xCloud, or Google because of Stadia.

Which is to say it's a stupid assumption and not true.

[ApocalypseShadow]

I don't know about "already won." But PS5 with PSVR definitely has a better chance for keeping its player base or gaining new players next Gen because of the immersive experiences. Over paying for subscription service like Game Pass that adds nothing innovative to gaming. Just more payments like XBL. (Even for F2P games that the base seems to forget)

We see this Gen for example as gamers who formally were just Xbox fans, moved over to PS4 because Microsoft failed to commit to their promise of *High Fidelity VR* on Xbox One X. If you bought a One X thinking you would get VR and didn't. It means they mislead and lied to you to get you to buy their new hardware.

Never mind the fact they failed to produce any new IPs this generation and keep saying "wait until E3." And never mind the fact they tried to take away your ownership of games as it wasn't just the scapegoat Don Matrick.

Unlike some gamers who don't know better, PSVR has its own AAA exclusive games based on the amount of players who own the platform. No developer is going to spend 50-100 million dollars, making a game for a player base shy of 5 million.

But the system has hits like Blood&Truth, Skyrim, Beat Saber, Astrobot, Borderlands, Superhot, Everybody's Golf, Raw Data, To the Top, Creed, etc etc etc. I could keep going. And new titles coming like Sairento, Espire 1, Sniper Elite, Iron Man, updates for NMS, Arizona Sunshine, I Expect You To Die.

And no, all games don't make all gamers sick. And you should try basic experiences before jumping into more motion intensive ones. It's like trying to fly a plane in one day.

It's another area where Sony is dominating Microsoft.

[Realms]

A good way for Sony to incentivize PS gamers to buy into PSVR is to offer free PSVR games with PS Plus, I know a lot of people have been pissed about how now we are only get two free games, if they where smart they would do something like this. I suspect Sony is waiting for the PS5 to restructure how and what kind of games we get with PS plus.

[AK91]

PSVR will help them but it won't cause them to win the next gen, the only thing that'll do that is traditional video games which is the main reason they won this gen.

[SyntheticForm]

PSVR is a sweetener, but it's not what propels PlayStation. PlayStation will succeed overwhelmingly because of its brand recognition, storied history, and fantastic games.

[WelkinCole]

I think people are underestimating how much an impact VR going to have next gen.

Fact is we are approaching the point where graphics upgrade won't be as impactful as it use to be.

So naturally a new way of experiencing games would help more than people imagine.

I was looking at the new StarWars game and while it look good. I feel like its something that has been done before many times. Why?. Because it has been done before main times in the last 3-4 gens just prettier graphics.

Sony having a huge head start in VR over everyone else I am sure will help them a lot more next gen than people think.

SP core AAA gaming is still the bread and butter for the industry. VR is a whole new level of experience and with the power of next gen PS5 and pricing falling to affordable price range. It will be as good as it gets for VR gaming on a budget.

There is no question I will buy both a PS5 and PSVR2 as soon as they are available. Doubt it would be more than 1k which is the minimum I pay for a laptop every 18 months to 2 years.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

I agree with some of your points here. But I still think that VR is still somewhat in its infancy and won't be the major factor as to why PS5 will succeed over others.

I think that VR will truly start to shine as we get deeper into the Gen coming up. Because when next Gen gets here, people will be all caught up with the new shiny graphics. And as the gen wears on, people will get over the graphics and actually want new ways to experience new ways to play and experience games. and I think most of what you can do on a 2D flat screen has practically been done already. So if Sony can actually have PSVR2 be wireless while pushing 4K then they will have a pretty special product on their hands. Because There are only 3 major hurdles for VR; wireless, resolution, and lastly price. And if we go by some of the patents that we've seen for PSVR2 it appears that they have the Wireless part solved, although it remains to be seen.

So next up for them is resolution and price. And if the Oculus Quest is anything to go by, then I'm confident that Sony would, at the very least, be able to match them in price and performance. And I am being conservative here.
The Oculus Quest is a standalone, wireless VR headset for $400 and it's out right now. PSVR2 Won't be out for another 2 years minimum, which leads me to believe that Sony can really knock it out of the park.

[WelkinCole]

The thing is what I have seen is people have not actually wanted higher res or better graphics as evident by the sales of the mid gen refresh rather what I see is more people wanting something different or new. Thats my observation. I mean 4k and all. How much more pixels and is it really what people have been caring about?. People are looking at games like Death Stranding and I see no one complaining that they want better graphics or wanting new gen for better graphics. COD etc

Sony has manged to smash it this gen because of the games themselves. Graphics is great and all but its really are the games themsleves that have shined.

Don't get me wrong. Sony's ace in the whole is still their internal devs and laser focus on core gaming. However VR I believe will come to the fore much more than people think come next gen. My point is it will be another very big ace they have going into next gen and a lot of people are underestimating it.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

@Shaggy

When I say that VR is still in its infancy I am speaking in terms of market and affordability. Surely Yahoo Messenger and AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and MySpace existed before Whatsapp, Snapchat, and Facebook, but looking back you can tell that social media as we know it was still in its infancy as it was as integrated into our lives as it is now.

The first consumer ready wifi product was released in 1997: “The first version of the 802.11 protocol was released in 1997, and provided up to 2 Mbit/s link speeds. This was updated in 1999 with 802.11b to permit 11 Mbit/s link speeds, and this proved to be popular.” https://www.cablefree.net/w...

Fast forward to today and every no console maker today would dare release a console without wifi capabilities built in. But in 2005, nearly 10 years after wifi’s introduction, the Xbox 360 didn’t include a built in wifi adapter when it launched. You had to buy it as an option. https://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie...

Nowadays it would be almost suicide to even have a TV without a built in wifi receiver, let alone a console. So the point I was making is that VR has NOT reached that point yet, and it will take another 10 years to get there. At such time, he idea of releasing a console without a robust VR offering will be laughed at.

YouTube and Netflix are also great examples as they are now default apps on TVs, phones, tablets, consoles, etc. 10 years ago that wasn’t the case.

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

No, PSVR hasn't done anything.

Sony right now has won next gen cause Microsofts E3 conference proved that MS still doesn't have any compelling exclusives and exclusives sell consoles.

Any exclusive MS does have is also playable on PC so why would someone buy the Next box when they can just own a PC alongside with their PS5 and Switch?

Thats why Sony has won Next gen already.

[mijayire]

Either way MS still will make money whats your point of games being on PC?

[optimus]

once streaming takes off and the industry is seeing a massive growth in it more than vr then i believe sony will do to the psvr what they did with the PlayStation move...you'll be seeing less and less games for it until they eventually just unplug it for good. (I'm well aware that the move still exist today....because of psvr, but that's besides the point.)

[andibandit]

Isnt the attach rate like 5℅?.

Im sure it will help but I dont see it being a deciding factor.

[Thundercat77]

If Sony releases Striking Vipers on PSVR, it will become the #1 game in the world.

See the new chapter of Black mirror on Netflix and you will understand.

[Imortus_san]

PSVR is hardly 5~7% of the PS4 install base, calling that the winning piece is just ...

[mijayire]

VR probably accounts for 2% of users hasn’t reached the mass.

[darx]

People still think this gimmick is the future, when will they learn?

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Fair chance Sony won't bundle it with PS5, and it's not a gimmick - it works. I know a gimmick that was bundled with a console - it's name escapes me.

[darx]

Now you're catching on. Motion control gimmick, VR gimmick.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

I must be slow - VR is no gimmick, it works, it's gaining popularity and it seems Sony's 1st party has worked out what works best for VR games. It will co-exist with traditional gaming, but it going anywhere soon.

Have you tried it at least? RE7? Anything?

[CrimsonWing69]

I’m so glad they’ll let this tech mature. It’s absolutely amazing and I hope it gets to a point where it’s more affordable for people to be willing to take a chance on. It’s not an experience you can just describe. You just have to try it for yourself to understand.

[Neonridr]

lol.. I read the description for this article and immediately thought "written by a Playstation fan no doubt". I mean less than 5% of the PS4 userbase has a PSVR. Sure the numbers have been solid as far as VR sales go, but let's not pretend like anyone is buying a PS5 because of VR. They are buying it for all the Sony 1st party titles. VR will always be an optional thing. I really adore VR and think it's a great way to play... sometimes. But the amount of time I spend in VR compared to not is still considerably slanted in favor of flat gaming.

[CrustifiedDibbs]

if sony "wins" next gen, vr will have NOTHING to do with it. VR is garbage. i owned PSVR for like 2 days and sent it back to amazon.

[maybelovehate]

Best VR experience is on PC. It is such a niche market, anyone really into VR will have a PC. PSVR is great as a ""gateway drug"" but that is really all it is.

[danny818]

Hell Yea!!! Where are my Sony N4G Warriors at?!

[gleepot]

There is no console war. It's all in your heads.

[Ulf]

Lol. Wut? This has to be a joke post.

[Tross]

Sony would win even without VR. It’s yet another weapon they have in their arsenal though.