Runner Up #1: PlayStation VR
Sony wasn’t going to let PC gamers have all of the VR fun in 2016. While the Rift and Vive may offer a premium resolution and tracking areas that allow you to move around the room, the PlayStation VR was all about VR for the masses. For this entry ticket into the wonderful world of VR, you didn’t need a powerhouse of a PC. You didn’t need to shell out nearly $800 for the full package, either. Instead, this was a $499.99 admission price to the world of VR, with a butt ton of launch window titles to make your hardware purchase feel warranted.
In terms of actually using the PSVR, it’s by far the most comfortable of the three VR headsets, especially over extended periods of time. It sits on your head like a crown and the screen shrouding sits snug to your face. The Move controllers do a great job of tracking your hand movements, though they’re not quite on the same level as the Rift or Vive’s motion control options for accuracy.
Yes, PSVR may not have the very best resolution. It might not have room tracking, and its motion controls might not be cutting-edge, but that’s okay. At this early stage of VR’s life-cycle, it’s mastered the main thing – price point. As such, you don’t need to offer the premium experience to outsell your competition. The PSVR is the VR option for the average gamer, and as a result, it’s not only been pretty difficult to find in stores, but analysts predict it will outsell both the Rift and Vive in 2016. As long as Sony continue to support the PSVR as aggressively as it has done thus far, this VR headset may well be the most successful of the first generation.
