Playstation VR headset Has An Official Release Date

Check it out...a $399.99 version of Google Cardboard!  Relax, I'm just kidding!  Well, not about the price.  The Playstation VR headset really is going to cost $399.99, and it's official release date is going to be October 13th.  If you want to pre-order it, well...you can't.  At least not right now.  Pre-orders for the device sold out earlier this year, but Sony does plan to open up pre-orders again later this summer.  There will be a number of "high-end" titles that will be available upon it's release, but they will be "minor playable experiences" as opposed to full fledged games.  Some of the titles that will be available are Batman: Arkham VR and the IP Farpoint game that will use the VR capabilities to give gamers a more substantial experience.  Farpoint in particular will be one of the Playstation VR's newest peripherals called Playstation Aim.  The Playstation Aim is a gun-like device that you can use with Playstation VR games that rely on "projectile weaponry.  Unfortunately, there is no release date for the Playstation Aim, so if you're wanting to play any of these games, you'll have to use the Playstation Move as a substitute until then. 


It sounds like the Playstation Move is going to have to be used when operating the Playstation VR.  Like the Oculus Rift and the HTC View wireless controllers, the Playstation Move is required to "make use of the 3D spatial recognition, affording players the ability to direct their actions in a 3D space thanks to the built-in sensors within the HMD.


Now when I said that the Playstation VR is going to cost $399.99, just know that's just for the "basic" package.  If you don't have the Playstation Move or the Playstation Camera wands, then you can buy a package that includes the Playstation VR, Camera, 2 Playstation Move controllers, the USB and power cables, a Playstation VR demo disc, and a Playstation VR Worlds game.  That package runs $499.99.


Playstation is planning on launching around 50 games within the first quarter of it's launch, with games that include Star Wars: Battlefront and RIGS, but exactly how many games will be available on it's launch remains to be seen.


(Information for this post was gathered from William Usher who works over at Cinemablend.com.)