PSVR Info - Everything You Need to Know

Towards the beginning of the year, 2016 was championed as a defining 12 months for virtual reality as the technology set about staging a renaissance within the video game industry. By and large, it’s panning out quite nicely; HTC Vive and Oculus Rift set the wheels in motion some months ago, catering for the high-end, PC market with top-tier specs and bleeding-edge tech. But a new challenger is ready to emerge.

Sony, having watched its chief competitors make their formative steps from the sidelines, is now on the verge of launching its own head-mounted device, the PlayStation VR. Pegged for release in just a few days (October 13), early reports claim that PSVR holds the lion’s share of brand awareness over those aforementioned rivals. This, coupled with the innate affordability of Sony’s platform ($399) and the cachet of the PlayStation brand, indicates PlayStation VR is primed for a relatively big splash, with sales projections forecasting around 1.6 million units sold by year’s end.

Before we begin dwelling on the potential future of PSVR, though, let’s circle back to recap Everything You Need to Know about Sony’s all-new platform, covering everything from technical specs to the demo discs early adopters can expect right out of the box — and why their contents vary on a region-to-region basis.

So go ahead; we’ve included a comprehensive overview of PlayStation VR that you can peruse in the gallery below.

Come October 13, Sony will usher in a new era with the release of PlayStation VR. It’ll be the second new platform launch in as many months, what with the PS4 Pro penciled in for November. You can get up to speed on said mid-generation hardware upgrade here.

Essential Reading:

PlayStation VR info dump

PlayStation VR - Everything You Need to Know

Introducing Sony's all-new platform.
What is PSVR?

Previously codenamed Project Morpheus, PlayStation VR is the new head-mounted virtual reality hardware hailing from Sony. It’s designed to harness the power of the PS4 — and soon the PS4 Pro — in order to thrust players into the epicentre of action. Player movement is tracked using the headset’s on-board accelerometer and gyroscope, and nine positional tracking LEDs.

Furthermore, the headset comes packing a 5.7 inch custom OLED display, which offers a resolution of 1920xRGBx1080.
Form Factor

Measuring 187×185×277 mm and weighing in at around 610 grams sans cable, PlayStation VR was "engineered to be balanced, comfortable, and completely adjustable. It’s designed to feel like it’s not there – keeping you free from distraction as you explore new gaming worlds.”
Price Point

PlayStation VR will be $399 (€399/£349/$549 CAD) at launch, placing it into a similar bracket as the PS4. That’s a conscious decision by Sony, too.

“We wanted to make sure that we came out with a product that could be available to the mass, 36-plus million PS4 users out there. We think that pricing it similar to the price of a console is the right marketing space to be in. Luckily we have the engineers on board, led by the teams that created the PS4, that we’re able to realize that product with that quality at that price level.”
What Do I Need?

A PlayStation 4, for starters. Beyond that, a PlayStation Camera is considered mandatory so that the PSVR is able to track your head movements, while PS Move and the Aim controllers are utilized by a select handful of games. Both of these peripherals can be picked up separately.
DualShock 4 Support as Standard

Though Move controllers are said to enhance the experience, offering more flexible and realistic control schemes, you can rest assured in the knowledge that all PSVR games will support DualShock 4 at the outset.

“All PlayStation VR titles will support DualShock 4 controllers. However some game experiences will be enhanced with the use of peripherals such as Move or the recently announced Aim controller.”
What’s in the Box?

By parting with 399 of your hard-earned dollars, your PlayStation VR order will come packing the headset itself, a processing box, power cable, earphones, dual HDMI connector that links the headset to the PS4, an HDMI cable and a micro USB cable.
Unboxing Video

Sid Shuman of PS Blog showcases all of the bells and whistles included in the PlayStation VR Core Bundle via this unboxing video.
Speaking of Boxes...
PlayStation VR’s processing box, a bite-sized unit that is around the size of your typical Wii, will handle the bulk of 3D audio, among other technical feats.
- It carries out object-based 3D audio processing (“really good and important to VR”).
- It displays the social screen – undistorting the VR output for display on TV. Quality is lost in this process, so it scales the image up and crops it so you don’t see edges.
- “Separate mode” – a completely separate audio and video stream you can send over to TV, as opposed to the mirrored social screen. It’s sent compressed to the PU and then uncompressed by the device and sent to the screen. We’re told that this was “an innovation that came quite late” in the development of the system.
- It displays PS4’s system software interface in cinematic mode, handling the display of traditional 2D content.
Technical Specs

All of the technical minutia you would ever need to know about PSVR can be found here.
New Peripherals

Coming off the back of the PS4 Pro unveiling, Sony confirmed the existence of new models of the PlayStation Camera and the DualShock 4. The latter of which retains the same form factor as its forebear only with a thin slit in the TouchPad to reveal the Light Bar from the front. As for the camera, it’s a slightly smaller model.
Recommended Play Area

Suggesting that people sit while using VR headsets, in the graphic (left) Sony outlines the recommended play area for PSVR, adding:

"Limit your use of PS VR to within the Play Area. The height of the Play Area depends on the range captured by the camera. Clear an area larger than the Play Area of all obstacles before using PS VR and remain seated whenever possible. If an application requires you to stand while wearing, the VR headset, follow the application instructions carefully, and maintain awareness of your surroundings."
Adjustable Screen Size

Sony says PlayStation VR can be played wearing glasses, but “there may be individual differences, basically users can play while wearing glasses.”
Cinematic Mode/Screen Mirroring
Both Cinematic Mode and the device's screen mirroring features ensure PlayStation VR doesn't always have to be an isolating experience.
- By using “Cinematic mode”, users can enjoy various PS4 contents and features on a big screen in a virtual space such as PS4 games and videos.
- PS VR can also be used to enjoy 360-degree photos and videos taken by devices such as an omni-directional camera.
Launch Lineup

Following the last-minute addition of Tangentlemen's Here They Lie, PSVR's launch lineup in North America is currently comprised of:

Ace Banana
Batman: Arkham VR
Battlezone
DriveClub VR
EVE: Gunjack
EVE: Valkyrie
Fated: The Silent Oath
Harmonix Music VR
Headmaster
Here They Lie
Hustle Kings VR
Loading Human: Chapter 1
PlayStation VR Worlds
Rez Infinite
RIGS: Mechanized Combat League
SuperHyperCube
Super Stardust Ultra VR
Tethered
The Playroom VR
Thumper
Tumble VR
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Demo Disc Included

The number of games on disc included varies on a region by region basis, but rest assured that those vertical slices are designed to showcase “five minutes of awesomeness.”

Below, you'll find a breakdown of each region. You can, however, keep up-to-date with all new releases via our dedicated page.

US: 18 games.

UK: Eight games.

Europe: Eight games.
Game Prices

By and large, VR game prices will be markedly cheaper than your standard, $60 price tag. They'll range from meaty top-tier experiences in the vein of Rigs ($50) to Batman: Arkham VR ($20) and other smaller, bite-sized titles.
Short, Immersive Experiences

While Sony has stressed that PSVR has attracted AAA support (more on that later), the experiences offered up PlayStation VR are more intense and slightly shorter to their console brethren. Sony boss Andrew House even likened it to a theme park ride, stating:

“I’ve been very vocal that I tend to believe this generation of VR lends itself more to short-form content, than perhaps it does to long-form experiences. I don’t see that as a deficit or a negative. I tend to liken the VR experience more to something like a theme park ride, in that it’s short, but it’s very intense and it’s very enjoyable.”
Blockbuster Support

Don’t be fooled into thinking that everything coming to PlayStation VR will be bite-sized morsels of content; even if major developers aren’t currently prepping standalone titles for the platform, many of this year’s releases will incorporate some form of VR compatibility. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Rise of the Tomb Raider are two such games.
Pre-Orders Blew Past Expectations

Soon after pre-orders opened back in March, multiple outlets including Amazon sold through their initial stock within minutes, while sales of the PlayStation camera ballooned 1000 percent. Pent-up demand for PSVR is palpable, it seems.
Supply Constraints Inevitable

That means supply constraints are almost certainly inevitably, though we’ll not know the extent of those limitations until release. A good problem for Sony, of course; not so much for those who’ve yet to pre-order.

“We have growing confidence that we’ll be supply constrained with this product, but we’ll do our very best to meet demand. Virtual reality is a medium that’s in its infancy. With such a nascent, very new form of storytelling, it’s difficult to predict what user uptake is going to be.”
Why We’re Excited

Here, we present to you five reasons we're excited to strap on PSVR and dive directly into the game.
No Bundle…Yet

Sony currently has no plans to bundle together the PSVR and PlayStation 4. That could change further down the line once both systems become slightly cheaper.
Our Review

Units are starting to appear in the wild, meaning we're fast approaching release date. As for our review, it'll be handled by PSLS' founding father, Anthony Severino.