Speaking during an interview with Game Informer, Adam Boyes, Sony’s Vice President of Publisher Relations, confirmed the hardware giant will not be selling PlayStation VR as a loss leader when it launches in October 2016.
Sony announced yesterday at GDC that the virtual reality gaming headset will be priced at $399/£349 when it hits stores this fall, giving it a hugely competitive edge against the likes of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Of course, most hardware is sold at a loss initially in order to cultivate a solid user base; losses are then typically recouped via software sales and licensing.
"I think for us, we weren’t really looking at the other guys," said Boyes. "The same goes for the price point. It wasn’t predicated on anyone else’s prices. Obviously we need to make money on the unit, but we’ve been in the consumer electronics business for a long time, so our ability to source great, high quality parts is a big part of it."
"There’s an advantage on both sides," he added. "Being the first one out there, the cutting edge is great. Watching how the market evolves and changes and what works and doesn’t is helpful."
Sony has over 230 developers working on PlayStation VR at present, and aims to release around 50 games for the device by the end of the year. PS VR was originally announced two years at GDC 2014, where it was then known as Project Morpheus.