While Facebook’s Oculus Rift has been dropping bombshells concerning the pricing and release dates for its upcoming system, Sony’s PlayStation VR has focused more on curating its list of titles and experiences. This slow-and-steady approach might be paying off. According to a recent statement by Richard Marks, director of Sony’s Magic Lab, PSVR may have more VR games prepared for launch than many would expect.
Marks was a featured speaker at Unity’s Vision Summit. His comments throughout the event centered mainly around convincing developers that the upcoming PSVR headset, as a platform, is as worthy of their talents as the Rift or even the HTC Vive. This culminated in the offhand revelation from Marks, following a breakout session, that Sony has “at least as much indie development for VR as we do for PlayStation.”
The PlayStation 4 is celebrated for both the quantity and quality of its indie game ecosystem since the console’s launch in 2013 and the suggestion that VR development is at least as strong as the console hints at Sony’s confidence in its lineup.
Other PS VR features highlighted by Marks for developers during his speeches are the system’s OLED display that boasts a 120 hz refresh rate. He also emphasized the fact that there are over 36 million PS4s currently in the marketplace, meaning the jump for their owners into VR will require much less friction than other headsets that require the additional purchase of high-end PCs.
Marks explained that Sony is ready and willing to hear pitches from any developer with a “business entity” and a “static IP” for consideration into PSVR’s catalogue. Essentially these two requirements mean that aspiring PSVR devs need to possess a track record of consistency in order to be considered for the platform.
“You can’t do it just because you want to do it…You have to have a business entity,” Marks said.
Any interested devs can visit us.playstatoin.com/develop to apply.
The three things that Marks specifically said he could not address at the conference were, “price, release date, and packaging” with packaging meaning whether or not the PS VR will come bundled with the necessary camera and move controllers or if they will be sold separately. However, when that news is made clear we will be sure to bring it all to you at UploadVR.
