It has now been two years since the PlayStation VR first launched, completing the ‘Big Three’ trifecta of high-end virtual reality (VR) systems alongside the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. The PlayStation VR is widely seen as the most ‘accessible’ of the high-end VR devices, as it only requires a PlayStation 4 in order to work, instead of needing a high-specification PC.
Known as Project Morpheus during its development, the PlayStation VR was released on 13th October, 2016, initially priced at $399 (USD). The device has to date sold over 3 million units.
Following on from the successful integration of motion controls introduced by HTC Vive and subsequently Oculus with the Oculus Touch, Sony made the decision to make the PlayStation VR compatible not only with the standard Dual Shock 4 controller, but also with the PlayStation Move motion controllers.
The decision to incorporate the PlayStation Move was generally seen as a smart one, since it not only saved Sony money on developing a new controller, it also meant consumers could dig existing devices out from whatever dusty corners they were kept in, and Sony could also offload any unsold stock.
The PlayStation VR headset has also received praise for its comfortable design, with many VR users who have tried most of the major headsets rating the PlayStation VR head-mounted display (HMD) very highly compared to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Unlike the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, the PlayStation VR relies on a single camera for tracking instead of multiple sensors. This does restrict the device from being used for room-scale VR experiences, but on the plus side also means the set-up process is much simpler.
In early 2017 the PlayStation Aim controller peripheral was made available, initially being bundled with sci-fi shooter Farpoint. Modelled on the PlayStation Move technology but offering more precision, the Aim controller has received praise from users for it accuracy and ability to improve immersion.
In January 2018, a new slightly revised model of PlayStation VR was released internationally, which offered a few minor upgrades on the original model, particularly for PlayStation 4 Pro owners.
Check out the post series below for a number of topics discussing PSVR.