From hardware improvements to software announcements, there are plenty of things about the virtual reality (VR) industry that we can easily predict. What’s much harder to tell, however, is exactly how well head-mounted displays (HMDs) such as the PlayStation VR for PlayStation 4 will perform once they are commercially available. That said, one of the figureheads behind the upcoming device expects PlayStation VR sales to benefit from a snowball-like effect once it finally becomes available to consumers in H1 2016.
Richard Marks, director of Sony PlayStation’s Magic Labs research division, said as much in a recent interview with Fortune. “Our customers are already very aware of VR and are anticipating it,” Marks said on how the kit might perform once it launches. “Once the PlayStation VR goes out on the market, they’ll see so many in people’s homes that it will create this snowball effect.”
Those that read VRFocus will remember an article discussing this effect last month. In fact, it’s not just getting PlayStation VR into people’s homes that could get this snowball rolling but also the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive PC-based devices too. Both kits are likely to arrive before PlayStation VR – Oculus Rift arrives Q1 2016 and HTC Vive the following April – and require expensive PC hardware to run. With over 30 million PlayStation 4 units already sold and the price of a console much less than that of a high-end PC, it could be that Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) proves to be a viable alternative for many consumers.
Still, it’s impossible to tell if this will be the case until VR HMDs are finally out and arriving in people’s homes. PlayStation VR doesn’t have a specific price or release date but, with its six month launch window now just days away, we can hope that these details will arrive soon. For the latest on PlayStation VR sales and all other HMDs, keep reading VRFocus.
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