With the Oculus Rift out in March for $599, and the HTC Vive out in April for $799, analyst Michael Pachter says Sony could dominate with PlayStation VR if they keep the price under $500:
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
— Michael Pachter (@michaelpachter) February 22, 2016
Answering some questions related to this tweet, Pachter said, “You betcha…” when asked if PSVR’s first year sales predictions at a $400 – $500 price would be similar to PlayStation Move’s.
Someone else brought up that price is only half the battle and performance is also a major factor, prompting Pachter to say, “Agree, but there is a reason McDonald’s sells more meals than a steakhouse does. Price is the biggest driver, > half.”
Previously, Sony’s Andrew House said PSVR would be priced as a new gaming platform, while SuperData estimates a price tag of $400 – $600. Although GameStop said PSVR would be out this fall, Sony explained that “GameStop was purely speculating. We have not announced our launch plans.”
