As the world is beginning to enter the new world of virtual reality gaming, two tech companies are already battling it out against one another to gain the support of customers.
And, in a recent interview, Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey explained why his company's headset, the Oculus Rift, is better than the Sony's PlayStation VR.
Shortly after 2016 rolled in, Luckey announced the pricing details of the Oculus Rift, Gamespot reported. At $600 per headset, a lot of consumers were taken aback by the announcement especially since Oculus VR previously said that it is targeting to release within the price range of the Development Kit 2, which retailed at $350.
Also, the $600 price tag does not cover the additional expenses for upgrading a PC to be VR-compatible, which could run gamers up to $2000 including the Oculus Rift.
This area is where various believe Sony will have an advantage. Since the PlayStation VR runs using the PlayStation 4 console, it means gamers will no longer have to purchase or upgrade a new gaming system just to enjoy the virtual reality device.
But, according to Luckey, the number of people who owns a PlayStation 4 or an upgraded PC should not be considered as a deciding factor as to which VR headset will dominate in terms of sales. For the executive, these two groups on consumers belong in different markets.
In addition, Luckey noted that the Oculus Rift is on a higher level than the PlayStation VR.
"I think that there's not many people who already own a PS4 who don't own a gaming PC who are going to go out and make that roughly $1,500 all-in investment in the Rift," he told International Business Times. "It really is a separate market."
"They're bringing virtual reality to a different group of people who I don't think were ever really a part of our market anyway," Luckey added. "It's also worth noting that their headset isn't quite as high-end as ours - it's still, I think, a good headset - and the PlayStation 4 is not nearly as powerful as our recommended spec for a PC."
Despite the company founder's statements, it's still hard to tell for now which VR device the market will favour since the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR haven't been released to the public yet. But, Oculus VR already has a head start on Sony with the Rift headset poised to come out in March for those who will pre-order it. The PlayStation VR, on the other hand, is expected to arrive sometime during the first or second quarter of this year.
