Off the back of the price reveals for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR devices, Sony’s PlayStation VR has the potential to rule the market, according to market analysts.
Revealed last week to cost an eye-watering $800, the HTC Vive is the first virtual reality headset to utilize Valve’s SteamVR technology, and will start shipping in April, according to leaks confirmed by the company. In hindsight, the steep price makes the furore over Oculus Rift’s ‘measly’ $600 price tag confirmation seem like much less of a big deal in comparison, but there’s still one more highly-anticipated competitor yet to be given a firm price.
Sony’s hedging its own bets on the popularity of VR by releasing PlayStation VR at some point – presumably – this year and, the final digits that the company decide to stick on the device’s RRP could make them the automatic market leader.
Long-time industry analyst Michael Pachter weighed-in with his own thoughts on the pricing discrepancies on Twitter today, stating his surprise at the Vive’s cost.
Wow, Vive priced at $800. This sets Oculus up to win at $600, and sets Sony up to dominate if they have the ability to price sub $500.
As the situation currently stands, Pachter believes that the Oculus Rift is currently in the lead to become the VR device of choice for consumers, but if Sony are willing to undercut its competitors, PlayStation VR will more than easily “dominate” the market with the more attractive price point.
All eyes are now on you, Sony. Don’t worry, there’s not too much pressure…