VR market needs more competition says Sony – Reuters

Virtual reality needs to become a more competitive market in order to drive the adoption of the technology, according to a report from news agency Reuters.

The report features an interview quote from Andrew House, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s chief executive, which said "I‘m not entirely comfortable being the market leader in VR by such a margin that seems to be happening right now. With such a brand new category you want a variety of platforms all doing well to create that rising tide and create the audience.”

Sony’s PlayStation VR headset is currently the market leader in its class, outselling the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and the high-end Vive from HTC. One of those reasons is obviously cost, with the PSVR headset being half the price of the closest PC headset, the Oculus Rift.

Samsung Gear VR is still the overall leader and the mobile market might get a bit more competitive following Google’s recent deal with HTC over its Pixel smartphone, which is needed to use the Daydream VR headset. But on console and PC, Sony’s offering is still winning out and that’s despite large price cuts to both the Vive and Rift this summer.

It was rumoured that Microsoft was planning VR support for the Xbox One X but the company has been more focused on providing a Mixed Reality solution for its PC users and building Hololens, aiming for a more industrial market than a gaming one.

More competition could lead to more take up, as could a better entry point on price. The PSVR was a cheaper option and the console already has a large install base, but additional costs such as the PlayStation Camera which is required for the PSVR to work, and optional PS Move controllers ran the price up to well over £400 in the UK. It is still the cheapest VR entry point, however, with the total cost of the PS4 and PSVR still under the cost of a VR ready PC and VR headset.