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The announcement of an $800 RRP for HTC’s Vive SteamVR headset has set the stage for Sony to rule the VR market.
That’s the opinion of analyst Michael Pachter, who argues that price will always be the determining factor.
Wow, Vive priced at $800. This sets Oculus up to win at $600, and sets Sony up to dominate if they have the ability to price sub $500,” he said on Twitter. I didn’t say Sony gets 100 per cent, so clearly not EVERYONE will shop on price… but there is a reason McDonald’s sells more meals than a steakhouse does. Price is the biggest driver.”
One Twitter user countered the argument by citing the premium Apple customers are willing to pay for those products, to which Pachter pointed out that the typically cheaper Android alternative has a bigger share of the market.
There’s truth to both sides of the argument. Price is always the single largest determining factor (and arguably played a huge part in establishing the PS4’s early dominance over Xbox One) but it is not the be all and end all. After all, cheap console alternatives such as Ouya didn’t prosper, with their lack of clout and poor software offer countering any price advantage they enjoyed.
Sony has yet to announce a price or release date for PlayStation VR.
https://twitter.com/michaelpachter/status/701775534611517440https://twitter.com/michaelpachter/status/701781471669817344https://twitter.com/michaelpachter/status/701782039305932800https://twitter.com/michaelpachter/status/701782750638964736
