PSVR2 is by far the most advanced virtual reality headset currently on the market, but it’ll receive renewed competition from Meta this year, as the organisation plots the release of the Quest 3. The company’s standalone Quest 2 has shipped more than 20 million units to date, and is the most successful consumer VR product on the market – although the entire medium is so nascent that it’s hard to consider Sony and Meta as rivals in the traditional sense.

Nevertheless, the Quest 3 is coming, according to a roadmap presentation shared by division Reality Labs to its employees. According to The Verge, the firm told its staff that the new headset will be “two times thinner and at least twice as powerful” as the Quest 2, although it will cost more than $399.99 at launch. One of the big selling points, apparently, will be mixed reality experiences, whereby the headset’s built-in cameras are used in augmented reality-style content.

Despite the new features, Meta understands it’ll have its work cut out encouraging people to upgrade to its new headset, despite the promise of 41 new apps and games at launch.

In an interview with Games Industry.biz, Sony’s third-party bigwig Shawne Benson admitted that PSVR2 is not necessarily in competition with Meta. “We definitely are still in this 'rising tide helps all ships' mindset for the VR ecosystem, so it's not the same kind of competitive landscape as it is, say, in the console space, kind of flat gaming experience,” she admitted.

Given the nature of the Quest product portfolio, it’s hard to imagine Meta delivering a product able to power games on the scale of Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village, so PSVR2 will likely continue to serve a different demographic. And if anything, a new headset entering the market could help cultivate even more interest in the nascent virtual reality sector, which is a net positive for all parties involved.



Posted: Mar 06, 2023 9:34 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/03/psvr2-to-receive-renewed-competition-from-meta-quest-3-this-year