Virtual reality promises to be a bold new shift for gaming, a brand new paradigm unlike any that we have seen before. It promises to not just shift gaming, but to create an entirely new medium of entertainment consumption. So of course, there has to be some bullishness on its prospects- all these companies obviously think it’s going to do well, or why would they invest so much money in it?
But the thing is, VR promises to be an expensive proposition. Not only do you need to buy new specialized hardware to be able to use it, but you also need to upgrade your existing hardware to be compatible with it. Which is why, according to Dr. Richard Marks, Director of the PlayStation Magic Lab, PlayStation VR has a major advantage- unlike other VR systems, it requires no major hardware investment beyond just the headset itself.
“All PS4 owners are ready for VR,” Dr. Marks proclaimed boldly at the annual Vision Summit 2016.
This is, of course, true- PSVR does need additional processing power beyond just what the PS4 can afford it, but that comes in the box with the headset itself. No further investment is necessary.
Will this be enough to set PSVR apart from its competitors? That is something that remains to be seen.