One of the best things Sony and others like Oculus can do for virtual reality is to ensure that there is a set minimum level of quality that VR games should adhere to. So much of VR depends on the initial wave of consumer sentiment over the next year as varying headsets begin to arrive at retail. One such way that Sony is ensuring there is a minimum level of quality on each game released for PlayStation VR is by enforcing guidelines for frames-per-second. Sony Computer Entertainment America Senior Dev Support Engineer Chris Norden:

 Frame-rate is really important; you cannot drop below 60 frames-per-second. Ever. If you submit a game to us and it drops to 55, or 51… we’re probably going to reject it. 

And he’s absolutely right. As flashy and fantastical a dev’s game can be, if it dips below 60fps (the threshold where consumers can begin to feel nauseated) then not only are they delivering a subpar experience with their title, but also damaging the reputation of VR as a whole.

 I know I’m going to get flak for this, but there’s no excuse for not hitting frame-rate. It’s really hard, and I’m not going to lie to and say it’s extremely easy… it’s really difficult. 60hz is the minimum acceptable frame-rate. Everybody drill that into your heads. 

VR will rise and fall together like 3D and a handful of devs could ruin it all for the entire industry. Norden once again:

 We’re all friends; the VR industry is really small and really tight. The VR industry needs to succeed, and everybody inside of it needs to succeed. 

And one such way is to have certain minimum standards like 60fps. Good move by Sony.

Discuss:

Do you think Sony should reject games that dip below 60fps?

[Via Gamesutra]