PlayStation VR 2: Big Lineup, Big Price
Playstation VR2 will launch with over 20 titles on February 22, 2023 – and a staggering $549 base price. This leaves PS VR2 well positioned against its VR competitors, but unlikely to be a mainstream breakthrough.
Rolling Out the Red Carpet
To its credit, Sony is throwing its weight behind PS VR2 to ensure its launch isn’t a paper one. It previously announced an entry from one of their flagship franchises, Horizon Call of the Mountain, during PS VR2’s reveal. This week brought even more announcements.
- 11 games for 2023, including some positioned near launch
- The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (part of Supermassive’s story-driven horror franchise)
- Crossfire: Sierra Squad (shooter from Smilegate)
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
- Pistol Whip VR (rhythm game from Cloudhead Games)
- These additions should soften the sting of no backwards compatibility with PS VR
On technological merit, the PS VR2 is impressive. It’s a huge leap from 2016’s $399 PS VR headset and holds its own against the Meta Quest Pro and other high-end VR products.
- Display: OLED, 2,000 x 2,400 per eye, up to 120 Hz refresh rate
- Controllers and headset feature rumble and PS5’s standout haptic feedback
- Lighter than Quest Pro and original PS VR
- Quest Pro is standalone, not tethered
PS3 PTSD
PS VR2 looks set to give premium VR headsets from Meta and Vive a run for their money. It’s not a terrible value proposition when you consider its capabilities, inflation, and included controllers (unlike PS VR). But there’s no getting around the ugly truth that PlayStation wants gamers to buy a peripheral that costs more than the $499 base PS5. PS VR2 may be destined to be a PS3 repeat: powerful hardware, but simply too high a price to ask.
PS VR2 looks set to give premium VR headsets from Meta and Vive a run for their money. It’s not a terrible value proposition when you consider its capabilities, inflation, and included controllers (unlike PS VR). But there’s no getting around the ugly truth that PlayStation wants gamers to buy a peripheral that costs more than the $499 base PS5. PS VR2 may be destined to be a PS3 repeat: powerful hardware, but simply too high a price to ask.
- Unlike the PS3, Sony can’t afford to aggressively cut prices and will have to settle for slower sales
- PS5 is already selling at a loss, with Sony doing all it can to avoid inflationary price hikes in the US market
Featured image: PlayStation
