The Low-Cost VR Honeymoon Has Come to An End

The PlayStation VR 2 is expected to be the “most affordable” headset of all three. It will be available by the end of this year. However, there are signs that premium pricing is on the horizon. The PSVR 2 isn’t a stand-alone device, but its high-res OLED displays, spatial audio, rumbling haptics-enabled headset, eye tracking, and custom advanced-haptics-enabled controllers sound extremely refined. These VR headsets cost around $600. The original PSVR was $400. To use the original PSVR, you will also need a $500 PlayStation 5, if one is available.

Anshel Sag is a VR/AR analyst with Moor Insights and Strategy. “I wouldn’t call it to wave, but I do believe that the Quest 2 would remain the most complete VR solution in that price segment,” he said. All signs point to Cambria, as well as other headsets, being significantly more expensive.

Sag also stated that VR will return to consumers, rather than business-oriented models. “I believe the PSVR will aid with that even though the Quest 2 increases in price.”

In the past, VR was available at a cost of $100 or less.

In the mid-2010s, tiny plastic goggles or cardboard foldout displays made small, portable VR devices. Those days are gone. Meta’s Quest 2 was the new stand-in. It is a $300 all-in system that made it very attractive.

Despite Meta’s questionable data policies, behaviors, the $100 price hike, and Meta’s financial difficulties, it’s still the best and most affordable VR headset. This is unlikely to change. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, and Pico’s VR hardware company, may soon release a Quest 2 rival headset. However, Pico’s software library will not be able to catch up to Meta’s. HTC’s Vive hardware is promising but not as business-oriented as its experimental Flow headset. Qualcomm promises a new wave of smartphone-connected AR headsets which could reduce costs by using phones as the main processor. This is a return to low-cost, phone-based VR. But which manufacturer will produce one and what app library? It will be difficult to catch up without an Apple, Google, or Samsung.

The Quest 2 is the most affordable option for now. Hence, maybe, Meta’s price-increase gamble. Although it doesn’t make Quest 2 more attractive, it could be surrounded by much more expensive alternatives by the end.