2016 is starting to become an interesting year for gaming. Recent rumors about an upgraded PS4 system being released is gaining steam even though Sony has not said anything official yet. The only thing we do know is that Sony is going to release their VR headset later this year.
So what is the PlayStation VR and what should we expect from it? Well first of all, there are a couple of other VR headsets out there already such as the Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift. What’s neat about the Gear VR is that you can connect the latest Samsung smartphones to it for some cool experiences. You can read more about the Samsung Gear VR here.
Next we have the Oculus Rift which is very similar to the Gear VR and is compatible with PCs and even comes with an Xbox One controller. There’s a neat video at their site that shows you the games that will be available to play on this headset. Check out their official website. The Oculus Rift is quite pricey though at around $1,300 while the Samsung Gear VR headset is $99.99. There are differences between the two as you might be able to tell by the price difference.
Where does that leave Sony’s upcoming VR set and will it be different than the other 2? Well first and foremost it will be about the gaming experience and what I like about what Sony has said about the PlayStation VR is that it is a simple plug and play device. What the company has also said about how movement will work is that it will use a combination of the LEDs in the headset, Dualshock 4 wireless controller, as well as the Move motion controller that will all be tracked via the PlayStation camera. Check it out at Sony’s official site.
It is planned to be released sometime in October with a price point of $399. That’s more than Samsung’s, but much less than the Oculus Rift. I’m curious to see how well it will sell at that price point as I mentioned in a previous post that is the same price as the original PS4 when it was released nearly 3 years ago. Are people really going to spend that much on a VR headset and will it offer a new immersive gaming experience that people will want to experience? Only time will tell on that one.
Then there’s the other factor to throw in there as well which is only rumors right now and I’ve mentioned quite a bit already. The PlayStation 4.5 as it is rumored to be called right now. Again, Sony has not said anything official about it, but there are strong hints it is coming sometime this year and quite possibly just before the PlayStation VR launches.
It should be noted however, that Sony has said the VR set will work with the current PS4 system. The VR set has an OLED 1080p display so if Sony is trying to make a console that supports 4k resolution, why not make the display 4k on the VR set as well? They may not want to fracture their support base that way as it would probably render the original PS4 system useless.
As we head into summer and the gaming expo E3 hits around that time, you can expect big announcements and surprises from both Sony and Microsoft. It will definitely be an interesting E3 for sure. I for one am excited for VR for the possible experience of open world games. I’m just imagining playing a Grand Theft Auto game on the PlayStation VR or even a racing game such as The Crew. That would certainly make for a great gaming experience.
GameStop is already offering preorders for it, but with limited preorder spots available. As tempting as it is to preorder one right now, I really want to wait and see how this is all going to play out and what the reviews say about as well as the possibility of a new PS4 system launching before Sony’s VR launches in October. Here’s a list of some of the details of the virtual reality set from GameStop’s official page:
“Product Details:
When you mention the PS4 being upgraded, does that mean the VR is likely not going to be compatible with the most recent version of the PS4.
I can really see my husband and son getting into this. My husband is an early adopter, whereas I’m like the Flintstones putting on the foot breaks. Still, I would love to see my son have a virtual reality experience. He’s very much into gadgets.
Hi there Renee. According to Sony, the VR is going to be compatible with the current version that’s out. It does make me wonder though with the recent rumored reports of a beefier PS4 model coming that Sony may not have much faith that the current PS4 system is good enough or they feel they are being left behind with the 4k craze. It will be an interesting next couple of months that’s for sure.