New £530 PlayStation VR gaming headset launched amid cost of living crisis | Tech News

Sony PlayStation is betting on VR’s appeal to gamers with the launch of Sony’s latest VR headset, the PS VR 2.

It’s designed to work with Sony’s next-generation console, the PlayStation 5, which has been plagued by manufacturing delays due to chronic semiconductor shortages.

But at the £530 price point during the cost of living crisis, it remains to be seen whether there is demand for a product that only really appeals to a niche player.

It’s no secret that PlayStation fans are generally willing to pay top dollar for their technology — but for those who already own a PS5, that still seems like a lot of money.

During the pandemic, “scalpers” have snapped up consoles and resold them at sometimes ridiculously high prices. They didn’t seem to have much trouble selling on the PS5 at the time.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, told Sky News: “With semiconductor companies ramping up supply, it will be interesting to see if the introduction of VR, for example from Sony, will boost demand again, although inflation and increased costs of life are a potential limiting factors.”

Stockists reported steady supply, possibly a sign that supply chain issues are finally being resolved.

Premium labels offer premium technology. PSVR 2 has a resolution of 2000 x 2040 pixels per eye, while the original model has a resolution of 960 x 1080 pixels per eye.This means images will be sharper and more lifelike on screen virtual reality 2 .

The PSVR 2 uses an OLED display instead of an LED display, which Sony says allows for truer blacks and more vibrant colors.

An attendee tries out the Playstation VR2 during Sony's press conference ahead of the CES tech show on Wednesday, Jan. 1.  Las Vegas, April 4, 2023.  (AP Photo/John Locher)
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Photo: Associated Press

OLED displays also have faster response times and lower latency, reducing motion blur and nausea.

The addition of eye-tracking technology adjusts focus and graphics based on where you’re looking, and allows for more natural interactions and dynamic rendering, optimizing performance and quality.

Meta released its Quest 2 VR headset in 2020. So far, there’s no competition from Xbox, though one is rumored to be in the works.

Former Meta employee and technologist Will Guyatt told Sky News: “In terms of technical capability and horsepower, the new PS VR2 is miles ahead of Meta’s entire Oculus lineup, including the recently launched Pro headset – which costs almost three times as much. times. a lot.

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“Sony’s various games are not just showcases of technology, they are proof that the future of VR is improving with each generation.”

The new model will feature 37 VR-enabled games, with Call of the Horizon Mountain taking center stage and building on the recently released Horizon West.

Sol Rogers, global director of innovation at Magnopus, a company that builds custom VR experiences for the likes of Disney and chair of BAFTA’s immersive entertainment advisory group, believes the launch will “bring in a new demographic.”

“As technology improves and the VR ecosystem expands, demand for VR games is increasing, making it more accessible,” he told Sky News.

He noted that Apple will also be entering the VR market this year and will certainly launch an app to accompany its hardware.

Sony is launching industry collaborations with rivals, some of which include the Meta Quest 2: a standalone VR headset that can also connect to a PC and retails for £399.

Then there’s the HP Reverb G2 at £599 and the Valve Index: a high-end PC-based VR headset at £919.

PSVR2 will be a touchstone to test the level of disposable consumption in the game industry and the popularity of VR games. It will also focus on Microsoft as it prepares a rumored Xbox competitor.

Either way, all hardware makers are betting on an expansion of the VR market — and whether it does, only time will tell.

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