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[ChronotriggerJM]

Geeze some of the people in this thread. When they originally came out and said they were pricing it as a gaming platform (which it is), the takeaway (especially from Sony of all companies) should have been, razor thin margins to make up for it in software.

Now people are saying a minimum of $299 without even considering how much the BOM will be, or how much has actually been invested in R&D. The materials for this thing are probably dirt cheap, and the R&D has been going on for a long time, by a very small team. People forget that the Move is already a device that's tracked in 3D space, and that they've been invested in optics since forever. I don't think Sony's R&D for this is honestly all that high.

 

[Garou]

What people here read:
Gamers first! PlayStation, by the gamers for the gamers! Greatness awaits!

What was actually said:
Shit is so expensive, we have to throw our margins out of the window to have even a slight chance to go to market with this thing.

 

[foolishoptimist]

R&D costs.

That's not going to be recouped from launch hardware.

 

[HarryKS]

One thing's for sure. I ain't buying the first wave. It's bound to break more easily.

 

[GloriousBagel]

199 US Dollars, leggooo

 

[foolishoptimist]

What people here read:
Gamers first! PlayStation, by the gamers for the gamers! Greatness awaits!

What was actually said:
Shit is so expensive, we have to throw our margins out of the window to have even a slight chance to go to market with this thing.

Neither of those things are true.

 

[firelogic]

It wouldn't surprise me if they priced it much lower than everyone is expecting. Just like he said, getting the unit into as many homes as possible is their first order of business. Once people have it, they're going to want software to use with it and that's where they make their money. This isn't just a new console. It's a completely new platform that's never been in anyone's home before. They need as many early adopters as possible and great word of mouth to spread the gospel of VR. My guess is sub $300.

 

[Viruz]

$249 PSVR
$299 PSVR + PS Camera
$349 PSVR + PS Camera + 2 Move Controllers + Game

That's my prediction. All will come bundled with something (games/demos) but the highest priced pack will have a full-featured PSVR game included.

+100€ min
+Wires everywhere

I'm out.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Not everyone has the same price sensitivity as you. The price will doubtless come down over time, but I strongly doubt it's going to be available in any configuration for $199 on day one. Yes, that means it will be somewhat niche initially but it can still find an audience. I'd expect it to come bundled with some kind of showcase title to take some of the sting out — but compare this to something like the Rock Band "band in a box" kits that are useless except for one very narrow genre. They still sold and sold well because thy offered a unique experience that people evangelized to their friends and family.

I never thought of this. Super good point.

 

[Game4life]

What people here read:
Gamers first! PlayStation, by the gamers for the gamers! Greatness awaits!

What was actually said:
Shit is so expensive, we have to throw our margins out of the window to have even a slight chance to go to market with this thing.

What an insightful post.

 

[Vena]

This doesn't really say anything with regards to price. It could cost 1000$ dollars or 100$, all the are saying is that they won't charge more than it costs them to make it, but there's no real indication of what that even means or how much they would potentially lose on it. (And it would be stupid of them to try and sell it at a profit because its already going to be expensive, potentially prohibitively so. This is just preamble to when the price does turn out to be 350-399$ and they say "We're not making money off of this.")

If the PS4 is a metric to go by, it will be sold to or just below cost. They're not going to subsidize hundreds of dollars again as they did with the PS3.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

+100€ min (doubt it)
+Wires everywhere (Probably a single wire from the breakout box to the headset)

I'm out.

My thoughts

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Well, Sony is like the only company involved in VR which will also make money with software in a big scale.

I expect that PlaystationVR will be significantly cheaper than other solutions,

Hum Valve?

 

[Alucrid]

gonna be the same price as vita tv

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

I think this is a mistake.

VR isnt ready for mainstream popularity yet, i dont think there will be alot more PSVR sold at 300 as opposed to 350. They may as well make a nice 50 dollar profit off of each unit sold at launch because the hardcore wont let 50 dollars stop them from buying it.

It should be looked at as a premium product imo.

 

[Neuromancer]

What people here read:
Gamers first! PlayStation, by the gamers for the gamers! Greatness awaits!

What was actually said:
Shit is so expensive, we have to throw our margins out of the window to have even a slight chance to go to market with this thing.

Yeah neither of those things happened.

 

[majik13]

This doesn't really say anything with regards to price. It could cost 1000$ dollars or 100$, all the are saying is that they won't charge more than it costs them to make it, but there's no real indication of what that even means or how much they would potentially lose on it. (And it would be stupid of them to try and sell it at a profit because its already going to be expensive, potentially prohibitively so. This is just preamble to when the price does turn out to be 350-399$ and they say "We're not making money off of this.")

If the PS4 is a metric to go by, it will be sold to or just below cost. They're not going to subsidize hundreds of dollars again as they did with the PS3.

Well they previously said it will be priced like a console. So we are going off that.

also anyone?

do you need the new camera for PSVR, or will the camera from the PS3 Move work?

 

[BlitzKeeg]

Not everyone has the same price sensitivity as you. The price will doubtless come down over time, but I strongly doubt it's going to be available in any configuration for $199 on day one. Yes, that means it will be somewhat niche initially but it can still find an audience. I'd expect it to come bundled with some kind of showcase title to take some of the sting out — but compare this to something like the Rock Band "band in a box" kits that are useless except for one very narrow genre. They still sold and sold well because thy offered a unique experience that people evangelized to their friends and family.

I think that will be the biggest problem as well. Stuff like RockBand and the Wii were easy to show off and involved multiple people. VR is far more individual-oriented, so I don't think it will be a big family thing.

Here's to hoping it goes well though

 

[hydrophilic attack]

idk, seems like an install base of 5-10 million would be plenty to see healthy if modest returns, assuming expectations are in check and content dev costs are reigned in accordingly.

Look at PS move. It sold in that range, but still almost no-one supported it. And all you had to do to make a move-compatible game was to design an alternative control scheme. For VR, you have to design the entire game around it.

 

[Danlord]

Well they previously said it will be priced like a console. So we are going off that.

also anyone?

do you need the new camera for PSVR, or will the camera from the PS3 Move work?

Needs the new PS4 Camera to work, because of the stereo cameras (for tracking)and higher refresh rate at the resolution it provides.

 

[roninwarrior92]

Spoiler

$199

stand-alone

Spoiler

$499

bundled with a ps4

count it.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Well they previously said it will be priced like a console. So we are going off that.

also anyone?

do you need the new camera for PSVR, or will the camera from the PS3 Move work?

You'll need the new camera for the PS4.

 

[Arkham]

Start dusting them off now, you're going to need them!

I've held off snapping up cheap Moves because I'm sure Sony will be releasing new PSVR-branded controllers. Even been if new controllers aren't enhanced in any way they have to have "Options" instead of "Select" and "Start" buttons (and "Share" if they allow it).

 

[majik13]

Needs the new PS4 Camera to work, because of the stereo cameras (for tracking)and higher refresh rate at the resolution it provides.

yeah figured, but since the tech is similar to move I was hoping the move cam would work. Ok thanks.

 

[Chittagong]

I don't understand why people expect this thing to be really expensive. It's basically a mobile phone screen bolted to a lens, with some added sensors. Nothing that would break the bank.

 

[HarryKS]

Can it replicate the impression that you are in front of a 20ft screen?

 

[Silent Chief]

I think Sony want to make this a platform and, as such, are willing to take the hit on the hardware, to subsidise it with publishing cuts.

I think adoption is paramount for this to work.

I'm pretty sure they need to break even on the first game, at worst.
They subsidize platforms, but they make money on peripherals.
How many peripherals will come with this? How many optionals?

 

[rakkadakka]

I'll be surprised if they come in under 300.

Need to start stocking up on popcorn for the day they announce the price of the vr and the games.

Gonna be gud.

 

[Silent Chief]

I don't understand why people expect this thing to be really expensive. It's basically a mobile phone screen bolted to a lens, with some added sensors. Nothing that would break the bank.

Phones are pricey.

 

[CarbonFire]

I don't understand why people expect this thing to be really expensive. It's basically a mobile phone screen bolted to a lens, with some added sensors. Nothing that would break the bank.

Breakout box adds some extra (unknown) cost, so does the required camera. It's also a more expensive "mobile phone" screen than normal, since it has to display at twice the normal refresh rate with low pixel persistence.

 

[boredandlazy]

you must be new to console gaming.

Heh, but the first person who replied to them definitely isn't. But we all know the particular leanings of that user anyway so it's hardly surprising.

 

[Boogalogist]

Man...they reallyyy need to get this VR thing into consumer's home. Otherwise, it will be difficult to take off. Just do whatever it takes to gets as many units into people's home.


I'm thinking this VR thing has mass market appeal. VR tourism - Walk in the streets of Paris for US$4.99 or something.

Just get the damn thing into consumer homes.

 

[Neuromancer]

Well they previously said it will be priced like a console. So we are going off that.

also anyone?

do you need the new camera for PSVR, or will the camera from the PS3 Move work?

No they said it would be priced like a 'new gaming platform.' Not a console. Vita was a new gaming platform and cost $250 at launch. If you want to get really crazy Ouya was a new gaming platform that cost $99.

You'll need the the PS4 camera.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Phones are pricey.

They really aren't. Astronomical markups make them pricey.

 

[……forgetit]

I'm gonna guess $250

 

[Danlord]

I don't understand why people expect this thing to be really expensive. It's basically a mobile phone screen bolted to a lens, with some added sensors. Nothing that would break the bank.

5.6" OLED screen, possibly curved and very custom to allow up to 120hz refresh rate, RGB subpixel arrangement and very low latency. It's likely the most expensive component of the entire headset, with the Processing Unit box a second. I don't know where to start to look into potential BOM except for looking at Note 4's BOM and just guessing really.

The second most expensive component will probably be the Processing Unit internals, at least a single chip. We don't know any details of what's inside. All we know is it handles HDMI unwarping VR image as well as feeding image to VR, offloading sensor data to PS4, processing 3D binaural audio so I don't know how beefy a CPU has to be for that, could be low-power ARM chip or something but it will still add some cost.
Everything else is just plastic, LED's, gyrometers, which add up the cost of course but not as considerable as the previous 2 components.

 

[BumRush]

If it's $299 or less, it's going to sell insane quantities.

 

[Danlord]

Can it replicate the impression that you are in front of a 20ft screen?

Yes, VR Cinema apps already exist. Possibly one coming to PS4, maybe.

 

[Shoeless]

I think that will be the biggest problem as well. Stuff like RockBand and the Wii were easy to show off and involved multiple people. VR is far more individual-oriented, so I don't think it will be a big family thing.

Here's to hoping it goes well though

Mark Zuckerberg, Palmer Luckey and others have tried managing expectations by comparing the adoption of VR to the adoption of personal computers back in the 80s, and I think that's a reasonable prediction. There will be the early adopters who have thoughts of Star Trek in their minds as they use the new tech and feel like an early part of The Future(tm), and everyone else will just see someone using some weird new gadget.However, with a combination of enough personal evangelizing, a drop in cost, a rise in power, and overall better user experiences, VR can slowly creep into the mainstream in the same way computers did.

Remember, back in the 80s, the old cliche was that if jocks caught nerds geeking out over "advanced technology" like PCs, they'd punish the nerds by stuffing them in lockers or the toilet. Now in 2015, what jock doesn't have some kind of personal computing device on their person? I can see VR--given enough time and opportunity to evolve--making that same transition. A guy sitting at a desk typing on a keyboard in front of a screen during the 80s seemed "niche" and nerdy. Now everyone does it.

 

[plainr_]

I don't understand why people expect this thing to be really expensive. It's basically a mobile phone screen bolted to a lens, with some added sensors. Nothing that would break the bank.

I'm scratching my head at all these high price predictions as well.

Nothing in the headset and breakout box is state of the art or top of the line. Don't know why people are expecting a $350+ price tag.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Yes, VR Cinema apps already exist. Possibly one coming to PS4, maybe.

Cinema apps are pretty great, even though I can't stand watching most video content on a dk2. Need to get in on that gear vr oculus cinema app goodness.

 

[recklesscognition]

What is the expected life span of the Playstation VR? I wonder how long I could expect to use it without reasonably needing an upgrade or replacement. I'm thinking $299 or $349 max.

 

[majik13]

No they said it would be priced like a 'new gaming platform.' Not a console. Vita was a new gaming platform and cost $250 at launch. If you want to get really crazy Ouya was a new gaming platform that cost $99.

You'll need the the PS4 camera.

thats just semantics though. The original point was we know its not going to be around 1000, or as low as 100. Generally the average game platform is the 200-400 range.

 

[Tripolygon]

Basic Set (VR, PsEye, Demo disk) - 249$
Game Set (VR, PsEye, Game or games) - 299$
Deluxe Set (VR, PsEye, PsMove, Game or games) - 349$

Basic Set (People who already own PS4, DualShock 4, Camera) $299 or $250 if they can risk it but i doubt it

• PSVR
• Breakout Box
• PlayRoom VR Downloadable Demo
• Free downloadable VR games

Standard Set (People who own just PS4) $350

• PSVR
• Breakout Box
• PS Camera
• PlayRoom VR Downloadable Demo
• Free downloadable VR games

The Standard controller for PSVR will be DualShock 4 which already comes with a PS4
Specialty PS Move Bundles with Games that need it, or buy standalone move.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

What is the expected life span of the Playstation VR? I wonder how long I could expect to use it without reasonably needing an upgrade or replacement. I'm thinking $299 or $349 max.

I would highly doubt it would be replaced during the PS4 generation.

 

[Danlord]

What is the expected life span of the Playstation VR? I wonder how long I could expect to use it without reasonably needing an upgrade or replacement. I'm thinking $299 or $349 max.

For the life of the PS4 it was said. There may be small revisions to the PSVR hardware down the line but will be cost-related improvements to make it cheaper, like maybe a new display that's cheaper or even just a smaller Processing Unit box that comes with it.

 

[Crayon]

I'm scratching my head at all these high price predictions as well.

Nothing in the headset and breakout box is state of the art or top of the line. Don't know why people are expecting a $350+ price tag.

I'm starting to wonder, myself. I just hope that if they announce 199, I'm have the day off to hang out on gaf because it will be a meltdown.

 

[Omnistalgic]

Depends on the experience really. If it's just something cool, like Kinect or Move that I'll stop playing after a month but really cool for company, I'll only spend $200. But if this is a Wii moment, kinda doesn't matter if its $300 or slightly more, I'm in with the right software.

I think that's what it comes down to really.

Also, Sony is making moves for profit now, Kaz is not playing. It's in all of there business decisions, sections they closed or consolidated, everything about the PS4, it's about $$$. So I think Yoshida is saying they aren't trying to make a lot of profit on each hardware sold, but I do not think it will be sold at a loss. I expect a similar scenario with PS4 in that it lost Sony a small amount of money and was profitable with like one game or something along those lines. A few months down the road, and PS4 was estimated to be profitable. If BOM is $200, I expect it to be close to that, if it's $300, same deal and so on.

Biggest take away for me, is 200+ developers trying it out, and what looks to be launch with 30 games? I think VR is here guys, and it will be pretty good.

 

[Sayad]

Yes, VR Cinema apps already exist. Possibly one coming to PS4, maybe.

... This looks incredibly stupid, why would anyone want to watch a movie like that?!!

 

[recklesscognition]

I wonder what their internal estimates are for units sold. Can't be less than 25 million.