Virtual reality gets real: Sony PSVR vs Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive

Sony has finally announced the pricing and availability of its much-anticipated PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset. Working in conjunction with Sony’s PlayStation 4 console, the PSVR will cost $400 when it hits the market in October.

That’s relatively cheap when you consider that Facebook’s Oculus Rift and HTC and Valve’s Vive cost $600 and $800, respectively. But price isn’t the only significant difference between PSVR and its PC-based competitors. Wondering which VR headset should get the nod? Here’s how they compare.

PlayStation VR

The newest kid on the block features a combined 1920 x 1080 display OLED resolution, with each eye seeing 960 x 1080. The screen also gets a 120Hz refresh rate and 100-degree field of view, which should translate to smooth visuals. Sony has also announced a 90Hz refresh rate option, for the PSVR, as well, which will allow developers to create games that aren’t as hardware intensive.

The headset tracks your movement via its built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, as well as the PlayStation Camera, which follows the nine LEDs on the exterior of the PSVR.

In terms of controls, there’s the standard PlayStation controller (the best one out there, in my opinion) and the PlayStation Move motion controller.

Unfortunately, Sony isn’t including the PlayStation Camera or PlayStation Move controllers with the PSVR, so you’ll have to shell out an extra $160 for those. That puts the”real” price of the PSVR at $560, which is still cheaper than both the Rift and Vive.

The PSVR connects to your PS4 via a special converter box. You plug the headset’s HDMI and USB cables into the box, then the box into your PS4. A secondary HDMI port on the box lets you send the image to your TV, so you can wear the headset and still play your friend who doesn’t have a headset of her own.

Outside of its relatively low price, PSVR has two other advantages over the Rift and Vive: its games catalogue and the fact that it runs on the PlayStation 4.

According to Sony, 50 games will support its headset by the end of the year. Sony says it also has more than 100 developers working on other titles.

The fact that the PSVR runs on a PS4 means you don’t have to go out of your way to buy or build a hardcore gaming PC to run it. What’s more, there are 36 million PS4s already on the market, which means the PSVR has a healthy built-in base.

Even if you don’t currently have a PS4, a console bundle with a game costs $400. Couple that with the price of the PSVR and you’re paying about $960, which is less than the price of a computer you’d need to run the Rift or Vive.

Oculus Rift

Facebook’s Oculus Rift is the salty old veteran of the group: It essentially launched the current virtual reality push with its Kickstarter debut in 2012.