While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have now been shipping for a few months and will enjoy a near 6-month lead time when PS VR launches this October, the reality is that they won’t be much of a challenge to Sony. After all, who wants to purchase a $1,500+ rig on top of an $800 headset, just to get into VR in the heydays? For it’s part, PlayStation VR headset will cost $399 and will require PS4, a $349 console. Best yet, Sony has already sold over 40 million PS4 consoles, giving PS VR a large pool to tap into and because of that, they’re projected to own the VR market by year’s end.

 TrendForce’s latest analysis indicates that PS VR will overwhelm its competitors this year, taking 67% of the global VR device market with about 6 million units shipped. In comparison, Oculus will ship 2.3 million units of Rift while HTC will ship just 700,000 units of Vive. The cumulative shipments of PlayStation 4 (PS4) gaming consoles are expected to exceed 50 million units by the end of this year. PS VR will therefore benefit from the large PS4 user base as they are potential buyers. Moreover, first-time buyers of VR devices will find the combined package of PS4 and PS VR more economical. HTC’s Vive offers higher performance capabilities, but its average selling price is quite high. PS VR on the other hand is priced for general consumers looking for new forms of interactive entertainment and recreational activities with family and friends. PS VR is also an attractive choice for hardcore gamers because Sony and third-party developers will launch many Triple-A VR titles for the device in the near future. 

It’s absolutely phenomenal to watch a company that struggled so much during the previous generation (PS3 era) do so much right this time around and the early success of PlayStation VR is just one sign of it.

Discuss:

Do you think Sony will be the winner in VR or will others catch them?

[Via TrendForce]