Tokyo Game Show 2016 ended yesterday, but Sony’s PlayStation VR and PlayStation 4 upcoming games are still making headlines. The virtual reality headset for PS4 consoles and its exclusive titles such as VR installments for Batman and Resident Evil were the standouts.
The Japanese developer has been previewing its PlayStation VR at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, the last major showcase before the Christmas sales peak. The device will have an introductory price of at least $200 lower than main rivals HTC Vive and Facebook’s Oculus Rift. Virtual reality is set to become the next big attraction of the $80 billion video game industry.
Sony will compete with HTC and Facebook on exclusive VR titles, too. These are regular PS4 games which will include full PlayStation VR support. However, the device will also beat off competition from games played on the 40 million PlayStation 4s, 25 million Xbox Ones and billions of smartphones.
The AR title is present on more than 500 million smartphones around the world, so it’s a big bet for Sony.
PlayStation VR specs, release date, and price
Codenamed Project Morpheus during development, the PlayStation VR will initially be only fully functional with the PlayStation 4. But, back in March, Sony hinted at the possibility of enabling PlayStation VR to work with other platforms like PCs.
The VR gaming head-mounted display features a 5.7 inch OLED panel with a resolution of 960 × 1080 × RGB per eye. It uses a 3.5mm headphone jack and has a processor box which allows Social Screen video output and 3D audio effect to the TV.
On its surface, the headset sports nine positional LEDs for the PlayStation Camera to track 360-degree head movement and connects to the PlayStation via HDMI or USB. The PlayStation VR will hit stores on October 13 with a $399 price tag in the United States.
Upcoming PS4 games with full PlayStation VR support
Sony promised it would launch at least 50 games before the end of 2016 to gain the advantage in the future VR wars. The company is relying on exclusive titles to convince players that VR can give them a more immersive gameplay experience.
Some of these games include the highly-anticipated Batman: Arkham VR as well as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Gran Turismo Sport, Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Tekken 7, and the controversial Dead or Alive Xtreme 3.
Many Japanese studios are even considering on becoming VR specializes in role-playing games, puzzles, and cartoon-based adventures, or reviving classic games for the new technology. Dreamcast games Space Channel 5 and Rez already came back in VR versions.
Source: Financial Times
