The headset itself may be the crown jewel of Sony’s attempt to carve out a niche in the nascent VR market, but there’s a couple of supporting cast members that are just as vital to the overall effect — the PlayStation Camera that tracks the player’s position during gameplay, and the PlayStation Move peripherals set used as an input method in many VR experiences.
Sony is planning to offer a package that contains the headset, a PlayStation Camera, two PlayStation Move controllers, and mini-game collection PlayStation VR Worlds. The bundle will be priced at $500, offering a decent saving over the retail price of all its component parts.
PlayStation VR Worlds is a canny addition to the package, acting as a taster session of various VR experiences in much the same way that Wii Sports helped familiarize players with motion controls back in 2006. The title features a spiritual sequel to cult PlayStation franchise The Getaway in the form of The London Heist, as well as an intense street luge sim and three other novel implementations of the tech.
Given that a powerful enough computer and either the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive is going to cost VR enthusiasts upwards of $1,000, the fact that a PlayStation 4 and everything needed to enjoy these experiences will cost around $850 is a huge boon for Sony. However, it remains to be seen whether the company’s tech can compete with its rivals.
Limited quantities of the bundle are set to be made available at 7AM PDT on March 22. A second allocation of pre-orders will follow later in the summer.
