Rumour: PlayStation VR Could Be Cheaper Than Expected

by Andrew Brennan · Published February 8, 2016 · Updated February 8, 2016

A few days ago a post surfaced on the PlayStation VR Subreddit regarding the cost of the device. The poster has claimed that they had spoken to a Sony reppresentative who was under the assumption that the headset standalone would be priced at $299 (€267). This would not include the cost of the PlayStation Camera nor the PlayStation Move Controllers. They also noted that there could be a bundle to get the extra equipment, the camera, controllers and a bundled game for around $129. This would make the total cost of the necessary equipment $428 (€382). If this is true this would be an absolute steal, especially considering the pricing of other VR headsets.

There are also some comments about the initial PlayStation VR headset being supported on a possible PlayStation 5 system in the post. This would suggest that Sony are betting big on VR. If this info ends up being accurate the PlayStation 4 would provide the lowest cost of entry for VR. This would certainly encourage gamers to buy into the idea of VR. With current PS4 pricing it would be less than $750 dollars to purchase the whole VR package. This is massively cheaper than PC VR costs currently. You’d need a $600-900 PC along with a $600 headset at minimum to get the whole package. This would position PSVR quite favourably against the competition. At the same time though, Sony and the Oculus/HTC Vive are targeting very different people. Sony are targeting the general populace whereas the others are targeting the PC gaming enthusiast.

The success of VR is ultimately up in the air currently. If Sony can release the PlayStation VR heaset at such a low cost it will be a boon for everyone. VR enthusiasts should be hoping that all forms end up being successful as it only helps the medium in the long run. VR will only be a success once it reaches mainstream saturation, hopefully that will end up being the case.

Since this rumour is based on a reddit post the information contained isn’t incredibly likely to be accurate. However, with the device releasing some time this year, leaks are bound to happen. If there are any further developments and we will update this post.

Via Reddit