Sony PlayStation VR is the dark horse of VR — price announced

Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (SCEI) just announced the pricing and availability of its much-anticipated PlayStation VR (PS VR) system today, in conjunction with the ongoing Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2016. SCEI has come a long way since its introduction of Project Morpheus back in early 2014, which also took place during GDC. PlayStation VR doesn’t veer off too much from Project Morpheus in terms of design, considering how different the consumer editions of the Oculus Rift or even the HTC Vive is, from their respective development kits. The PlayStation VR will go on sale in Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia, from October 2016. The prices, as announced by the US and EU PlayStation blogs, are:

• Japan: JPY 44,980 (~MYR 1,648.40)
• US: USD 399 (~MYR 1,663.07)
• EU: EUR 399 (~MYR 1,840.44)
• UK: GBP 349 (~MYR 2,049.73)
• Canada: CAD 549 (~MYR 1,714.99)
• Australia: AUD 549.95 (~MYR 1,704.33)
• New Zealand: NZD 629.95 (~MYR 1,733.42)

Availability details

PS VR was promised to be delivered in the first half of 2016 initially. Sony said that the delay is because it wanted to take the time needed to launch the system with not just a lot of content, but content in a wide range of genres as well. It also wanted to make sure the supply of PS VR is sufficient for sales. Sony has yet to accept pre-orders, though it assured that that’s coming soon.

In October 2016, PS VR will only go on sale in 26 countries (there could be more, but these are the only ones announced): Japan, US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, and Czech Republic.

Features

Sony had put a lot thought into the design of the PS VR right from the start to achieve a balanced and comfortable goggles, with a completely adjustable headband. This is evident in the fact that much of the design remains the same as the Project Morpheus concept shown two years ago. The heavy goggles are supported with just the forehead pad that is anchored to the back of your head by a solid-yet-adjustable band. It doesn’t have the floppy leather strap that runs along the top of your scalp to mess up your hair, like what Rift and Vive are doing.

Inside the PS VR, there are a few improvements over Project Morpheus, namely the display, which is now at 5.7 inches compared to 5 previously, and the 100-degree field of view (FOV), slightly wider than previously, which was at 90 degrees. The said display is made of OLED and has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 960 x 1080 per eye; that’s considerably less than Rift’s and Vive’s 2160 x 1200 resolution, or 1080 x 1200 per eye, not to mention the duo’s wider, 110-degree FOV. However, PS VR has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz (or 120fps), compared to the other two’s 90Hz rate. Sony touts a low latency response, at just 18ms, and though the following are old numbers, Vive was rated at 22ms, while the Rift was at 20ms (not confirmed).

The way PS VR could track your movement is impressive too. It contains a six-axis motion sensor, comprising two sensors — accelerometer and gyroscope. It knows where exactly you’re looking at, by way of positional tracking with 9 LEDs around the headset — 5 in front, 1 on each side, and two at the back. This means you can turn your head around and look back, and the PlayStation 4 (PS4) will still know where you’re facing.

But here’s the caveat though — the PS4 can only track your PS VR headset using the PlayStation Camera (PS Camera), and that’s available separately for MYR 249. On its own, the PS VR package comes with the VR goggles itself, an external processing unit, in-ear stereo earbuds, and all the necessary cables and cords for connection and power. You know how PC gamers tend to brag about how the graphics on PCs are way better than on consoles? Their brags are not unfounded as the graphics on gaming consoles remain the same for more than half a decade (the PS4 came out seven years after PS3), while PC graphics continue to improve every few months. This is where PS VR’s external processing unit comes into the picture; it provides the additional and necessary brawn to crunch the graphics needed for virtual reality (VR).

Also, did you notice the missing controllers? Sony assumes that if you’re interested in the PS VR, you should already have a PS4, and with it, the DUALSHOCK 4 controller which will work with PlayStation’s VR content. But for a better experience, you might need to fork out another few hundred ringgit for the PlayStation Move wands.

PS VR doesn’t have attached headphones like the Rift, but the system itself is said to support 3D Audio, where you, the wearer, can pinpoint sounds whether it’s coming from above, below, the sides, or behind, which is crucial for virtual reality. It does ship with a pair of in-ear headphones as mentioned earlier, that can be plugged into the PS VR directly. PS VR also supports microphone input, great while engaging in multiplayer gaming sessions. While it helps to have a larger over-ear headphones with multiple drivers to simulate a 5.1 surround sound experience, a lot can also be done in the audio source side of things, to create a binaural audio effect that can be enjoyed with a decent pair of in-ear buds. Here’s one example of how binaural audio sounds like (you’ll need headphones for the full experience). Another thing to note about 3D Audio is, it’s not just limited to binaural/surround sound, but it also includes spatial sound. Since the PS VR knows where you are facing at any point in time, it will adjust the stereo balance accordingly. This means that if you hear something coming from the left, turn your head towards it and the sound will now be audible on both ears.

In the event when there are no VR games to play, the system also comes with Cinematic mode, where you can play your usual PS4 games as well as videos, with your PS VR. The “2D” display will be projected through the PS VR to simulate a large display, up to a whopping 225 inches (5 meters in width) at a distance of 2.5 meters. I believe how it works it that you’ll still see as if there is a large TV fixed to a virtual wall, and no matter where your head is facing, that virtual TV screen will remain fixed on the same position. Maybe I’m wrong, but either way, the large display simulation feature for non-VR games is brilliant. Also, Sony is also very thoughtful about the social aspects, because VR can be an isolating experience. If you have someone engaging with her PS VR, whatever she’s seeing in real-time will also be shown, in full, on your TV in a standard full screen 2D view, unlike Oculus’ early approach that shows two separate ocular views on the TV that doesn’t serve spectators that well.

Content

SCEI said that there are now more than 230 developers and publishers working on making content for the PS VR, totaling to more than 160 titles. DICE, Electronic Arts (EA), and Lucasfilm are already working on all-new Star Wars Battlefront gaming experience exclusive only for PS VR, but that may not be coming out this year.

Fret not, SCEI said there will be over 50 PS VR titles coming out this year. We’ve listed some of them in the following bullet points. To find the full list (as of March 16th 2016) of third party developers and publishers, as well as ‘tools and middle developers’ for PS VR, visit SCEI’s PS VR news release here.

• DRIVECLUB (Evolution Studios)
• Eagle Flight (Ubisoft)
• EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
• Headmaster (Frame Interactive)
• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
• Wayward Sky (Uber Entertainment)
• RIGS: Mechanized Combat League
• Tumble VR
• Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) also has its in-house development group called Worldwide Studios (WWS). SCE WWS’s London Studio made PlayStation VR WORLDS, a meta-game title consisting of five different VR experiences: London Heist lets you unleash your inner mobster, Into The Deep (working title) puts you to work as a deep sea salvor, VR Luge makes you a illegal luge racer, Danger Ball lets you head footballs all day, and Scavenger’s Odyssey turns you into an alien treasure hunter.

Meanwhile, SCE WWS’s Japan Studio also made their own title called Playroom VR, a more casual experience that is an evolution to the original Playroom for PS4. It is free at launch from the PlayStation Store. Just like PS VR WORLDS, Playroom VR is also a meta-title with six games inside. They’re similar to the ones you’ve seen on the original, except that instead of augmenting your room view on the TV with the help of PS Camera, you’re now in the virtual environment itself.

There will be less gaming content in the first few months for sure, so SCEI is packing in a ‘PlayStation VR Demo Disc’ to those who purchase the PS VR, which contains a number of interactive VR experiences, some of which are demos of the launch lineup. Think of it as getting a free demo Blu-ray disc after you bought that 4K TV of yours.

PlayStation VR specification (with four images)

• Product code: CUH-ZVR1 series
• External dimensions:
  • VR headset: Approx. 187 × 185 × 277 mm (width × height × length, excludes largest projection, headband at the shortest)
  • Processor unit: Approx. 143 × 36 × 143 mm (width × height × length, excludes largest projection)
• Mass:
  • VR headset: Approx. 610g (excluding cable)
  • Processor unit: Approx. 365g
• Display method: OLED
• Panel size: 5.7 inches
• Panel resolution: 1920 × RGB × 1080 (960 × RGB × 1080 per eye)
• Refresh rate: 120Hz, 90Hz
• Field of view: Approximately 100 degrees
• Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer)
• Connection interface:
  • VR headset: HDMI, AUX, Stereo headphone jack
  • Processor unit: HDMI TV, HDMI PS4, USB, HDMI, AUX
• Processor unit function: 3D audio processing, Social Screen (mirroring mode, separate mode), Cinematic mode
• Included:
  • VR headset × 1
  • Processor unit × 1
  • VR headset connection cable × 1
  • HDMI cable × 1
  • USB cable × 1
  • Stereo headphones × 1 (with a complete set of earpiece)
  • AC power cord × 1
  • AC adaptor × 1

Things to consider

After the commercial failure of the Nintendo’s Virtual Boy released in 1995, we soldiered on for another 20 years without any formidable entry into the virtual reality scene. That is, until Oculus VR and its Rift came along, which instantly became the darling of VR, even after its acquisition by Facebook. HTC came out of nowhere to show off an arguably more superior (and more expensive) Vive headset made in close collaboration with Valve. The Sony’s Project Morpheus and later PlayStation VR, seemed to be too limiting initially, since it is powered by an inferior CPU, and its content is only limited to games.

But then during SCEI’s GDC 2016 keynote, it shared that there are now over 36 million units of PlayStation 4 sold worldwide. Oculus Rift alone costs USD 599 (~MYR 2,454.43) while the HTC Vive has an even higher asking price of USD 799 (~MYR 3,273.94). They both require powerful Windows PCs to run them, and these machines could easily cost USD 1,000 (~MYR 4,097.55) or more. Even if you don’t have a PS4 yet, the console’s available at a relatively lower price of USD 350 (~MYR 1,434.14) in the US, while the PS VR itself is USD 399 (~MYR 1,663.07), making the total price “just” USD 749 (~MYR 3,069.06).

However, it is not a walk in the park for SCEI to gain a considerable market share in the VR space. Due to its new technology nature, the PS VR, an accessory, is weirdly priced higher than the console itself. In Malaysia, a basic PS4 with 500GB space is now just MYR 1,365, though it was launched with a MYR 1,799 price tag. Taking current exchange rates into consideration, if SCEI were to release the PS VR here in Malaysia, it may (hopefully) cost around MYR 1,599, or else risk a slow adoption. And then there is the camera requirement. Even if you already have a PS4, it won’t work with the PS VR until to hook the console up with the PS Camera, currently selling at MYR 249. Want to enhance your PS VR experience with the Move? The PS Move Navigation Controller itself is another MYR 136, while the PS Move Motion Controller is no longer listed in Sony Malaysia’s online store (I’m assuming it’ll also cost MYR 136). Add these all up and you’ll be paying way over MYR 3,400 (including the PS4), and we’re not even talking about games yet. All that being said, it’s still cheaper than going the Rift/Vive route.

While Rift and Vive may target a slightly different group (namely, the PC gaming master race), PS VR already has tens of millions of PS4s around the world capable of running it, and it may soon prove to be the dark horse in this VR race.

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