Yesterday PlayStation finally revealed the price and release date of the PlayStation VR2, its new virtual reality glasses that will accompany PS5 in this new stage towards the most powerful generation in history. Everything pointed to being a great announcement, but the perspective quickly changed among the public due to the advertised price. Are PS5 virtual reality glasses really that expensive?
Unreal hardware
Before starting to assess whether the 599.99 euros that the PlayStation VR2 label will mark is justified, let’s review what exactly these new generation glasses are going to offer. To begin with, the screen that gives life to the glasses is a 4,000 x 2,040 pixel OLED with HDR that allows you to offer 2,000 x 2,040 pixels per eye with refresh rates of 90 and 120 Hz.
A total of 4 external cameras have been included that allow the monitoring of the glasses and the controls, in order to locate ourselves in the environment and not need an additional webcam that watches us continuously. But, in addition, an infrared camera has been included inside that will be in charge of tracking our eyes, so that the viewer will know which area of the screen we are looking at to offer the best image quality there and release the CPU and GPU load on the periphery, right where our eyes don’t look.
To this we must add the new controls that come included in the initial pack. These spherical controls have all the necessary buttons to be able to interact in games and applications, and also integrate gyroscopes and capacitive and infrared sensors to know if we are touching the buttons or approaching them.
PlayStation VR2 vs the competition
Seeing the cover letter offered by the PlayStation viewer, there is no other option but to compare it with the competition to see where exactly it stands. The Meta Quest 2 are the most popular virtual reality glasses of the moment thanks to their independence and complete catalog. Its price is 449 euros , but the screen is LCD with 1,832 x 1,920 pixels per eye and a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The new Meta Quest Pro is also committed to mixed reality with external cameras and a much more powerful new processor, but the screen is still LCD with a resolution of 1,800 x 1,920 pixels per eye. Its price of 1,799 euros places it at a stratospheric level.
On the HTC side, the VIVE Focus 3 could be the glasses that most closely resemble the PlayStation VR2 in terms of resolution, since its dual LCD screen offers 2,448 x 2,448 pixels per eye. The field of view is slightly higher with 120 degrees (110 in PS VR2) and the refresh rate stays at 90 Hz. But of course, its price is 1,451 euros , more than double that of Sony.
The same goes for the VIVE Pro 2 . Considered the best virtual reality glasses for the demanding public, they have two positioning headlights and a double RGB LCD screen with 2,448 x 2,448 pixels per eye with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It covers a 120-degree field of vision and offers Hi-Fi audio certification. Beef. It has everything, but its price is 1,439 euros .
The most direct rival that we could find is the Valve Index , Valve’s virtual reality glasses that have RGB LCD screens of 1,440 x 1,600 pixels. The resolution is still lower than the PlayStation, but it does offer 120 Hz and a very interesting expandability, since it has optional positioning lights and a USB 3 expansion port that could give many advantages in the future. The price of the viewer with the controller is 799 euros , making it the product that is closest to the PlayStation price (but still considerably more expensive).
Comparing PlayStation VR vs PlayStation VR2
But if there is a comparison that we must make, it is the price that PlayStation VR had at its initial launch on PS4. The first PlayStation virtual reality glasses hit the market for 399 euros , although if you wanted the best experience you had to pay 499 euros to get the kit that included the PlayStation Move controllers .
We are talking about an increase of 100 euros in two products 6 years apart . Taking into account the inflation suffered in the last year and the technological commitment that Sony raises on this occasion, it does not seem like such an abysmal difference. At that time, the alternatives went through the HTC Vive, which were more advanced due to the positioning of their headlights, but which had a price of 800 euros. As you can see, history repeats itself.
Are PlayStation VR2 expensive?
Seen the seen, the PlayStation VR2 are not expensive . We could say that none of the options available on the market exceeds the specifications of Sony’s glasses, so, at a technical level, the price is unbeatable. Many will be supported by the opinion that after spending 500 euros on a console it makes no sense to spend 600 on an “accessory”, but you also have to think that the most demanding models of VR viewers require quite powerful PC hardware, with its corresponding price astronomical.
In short, adapting to virtual reality is very expensive when compared to traditional experiences, but within that world, the PlayStation VR2 is the best product you could buy, hence its price seems quite right. So no, the PlayStation VR2 are not expensive, the expensive thing is virtual reality.
