Sony has harbinger the price and release calendar month for thePlayStation VR 2headset , and it might take us all the path until February 22 to get used to the fact this thing be £ 530/$550 .
The virtual reality headset , which requires aPS5to work , costs more than the PlayStation 5 itself . Despite the big spec upgrade and new controllers , that ’s far too much . Almost £ 200 more than the £ 349 launching price for theoriginal PSVRin 2017 .
Despite the fact the original PSVR sell the Move controllers and a mandatory camera separately ( PSVR 2 does n’t need the latter ) , it ’s clear Sony has n’t read the room here . This is n’t the ripe time to be overpricing a luxuriousness purchase place at an already niche interview .
With this pricing , Sony has 100 % removed the possibility of curiosity purchases and crushed the opportunity to flesh out its VR substance abuser base much beyond the enthusiasts who owned the first machine . No - one spends £ 530 on something like this just to ‘ give it a go ’ . specially in February .
And what ’s up with that too ? Why is Sony releasing this expensive hardware on the wrong side of Christmas ? As my fellow Max Parker pointed in our squad visit this morning , a virtual reality headset is the perfect Christmas purchase . One of those product buy for family merriment around the holiday that spends a fortune of prison term garner dust thereafter .
It ’s likely that Sony originally plan to get this out in sentence for the holidays for this precise reason . It ’s the meter of twelvemonth it would qualify as a gift for people who ca n’t justify grease one’s palms it for themselves .
What ’s the close of February ? A time when mass are skint and facing the worst of the winter fuel billhook , after make their pay packet stretch throughout January . It ’s close enough to the leap to envision the prison term when they can go outside again , rather than shutting themselves off from the worldly concern . There ’s absolutely zero upside to plunge this equipment in February .
If Sony planned this all along , it ’s an error . If the company simply neglect its production targets , then it ’s a failure . Either way , it ’s put the PSVR 2 behind the 8 - ball from the day it off the shelves .
If you require a charging dock for the controller , that ’s an redundant £ 40 . If you want a bundle with Horizon Call of the Mountain , that ’s an extra £ 40 . It ’s just too much money at a time when people just do n’t have that kind of spare Johnny Cash on hand – peculiarly if they ’re not already a VR lover .
Not as much going for it
Prior to the recent toll hike , theOculus Quest 2was priced in a way of life that draw in the curious . £ 300 was more justifiable for something that could be used wirelessly , was user friendly , was easy channelise around to someone else ’s gaff , and had a large amount of complimentary or affordable experience to try .
The PSVR 2 has none of that going for it . It has to be wire to your PS5 , meaning you have to cart that with your anywhere you go , and the software is n’t that abundant strictly because absolutely none of the game and experiences made for the original are backward compatible . There ’ll be up to 20 experience available at launch , but is that enough to spend £ 530 ?
Some kinsfolk are ok with it being a wired solution ( USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate ) because it ’ll leverage the power of the PS5 more effectively , but there ’s no dough coat the absence seizure of first - propagation experience from the platform .
It means those who do splash out £ 530 for the PS VR 2 wo n’t have much too play … sort of like the PS5 itself , in fact . My co-worker Ryan Jones caused a ruckus among tribal PlayStation users bycalling the PS5 “ a major washout so far”in a recent belief piece .
He complained that after two years on sale , there are few games that have full apply the PS5 ’s telling ironware and even few that ca n’t be enjoyed on the PS4 anyway ( good news for PS4 exploiter of course ) . There are n’t many first - political party statute title in the line for 2023 either.25 million console sold , but is there even 25 top plot to flirt after two twelvemonth ?
I agree with Ryan . It feels like Sony is squandering the prevalent position it build up - up in the previous console generation and has become self-complacent . Microsoft feel like the company pushing the gasbag to meet gamers where they ’re at and is doing the most to welcome newcomers into the fold .
Even therevamped PlayStation Plusproposition – design to well vie with Xbox Game Pass – is n’t taking off among PS5 gamers . Since the relaunch , PS Plus has throw away a whopping 1.9 million endorser . Sony ’s CFO believes it was due to the summertime and the misfortunate selling of the various tiers . I ’m more of the belief that it missed the ballad - up that was leveraging the PlayStation back catalogue of championship from the first twain of console generations . There have n’t been nearly enough so far .
However you slit it , PlayStation is misfire on all cylinder and PS5 owners have every right to feel dissatisfied . Asking them to spend £ 530 on an supplement that costs more than their console , two months after Christmas , might be a stone’s throw too far .
The PSVR 2 might be so good it ’s a roaring succeeder anyway , but as it stand , Sony has n’t give its young headset the best prospect to succeed .
