Oculus Rift vs PlayStation VR – Price, Specifications

Now that both the Oculus Rift and the PlayStation VR have launch dates and prices, we can weigh them up against each other.

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality platform for PC, and requires a decent modern gaming rig to run smoothly. The device has been in development for 4 years and is largely responsible for cultivating the recent surge of innovation in the VR industry. The Oculus Rift is set to release on 28 March.

PlayStation VR is Sony’s VR platform designed to work exclusively with the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation VR is appealing to players who don’t want to worry about their system not being able to run VR releases as the hardware is used exclusively with the PS4. The PlayStation VR is set to release in October 2016.

Specifications

Oculus Rift Specifications
Resolution	2,160 x 1,200
Display	OLED
Refresh Rate	90Hz
Field of View	110 degrees
Price	$599

PlayStation VR Specifications
Resolution	1,920 x 1,080
Display	OLED
Refresh Rate	120Hz
Field of View	100 degrees
Price	$399

Both devices feature a high refresh rate – an important feature of virtual reality devices. The Oculus Rift has a higher resolution and a slightly wider field of view than the PlayStation VR.

The Rift’s higher resolution and better FOV will result in smoother gameplay and better graphics quality, but these improvements are reflected in the price of the product.

The PlayStation VR is $200 cheaper than the Oculus Rift and does not require a $1,000 gaming PC to enjoy. However, the device is still more expensive than the console it is built for, which costs around $350.

oculus-rift-with-peripherals

Requirements

Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift requires a powerful gaming PC which has the following minimum requirements:

GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 or better.
Intel Core i5 4590 or greater.
8GB RAM or more.
HDMI 1.3.
2 USB 3.0 ports.
Windows 7 SP1 or newer.

The Oculus Rift does not require any peripherals to function at its full potential, although the PC required to use the Rift costs around $1,000.

The total cost of the Oculus Rift setup including a PC is about $1,599.

PlayStation VR

The PlayStation VR functions exclusively with the PlayStation 4 – which is $350 – but does require certain peripherals such as a PlayStation Camera($60) and a couple of PS Move controllers($50 each) to function at its best.

The total cost of the PlayStation VR including PS4 and peripherals comes out to about $900.

PS VR games

Games

Both platforms will feature a selection of games on release, with many titles in development.

The Oculus Rift has a comprehensive list of titles available at launch, as it is launching sooner in the year than the PlayStation VR. The 30 games launching with the Oculus Rift include EVE: Valkyrie, Elite Dangerous and Adrift.

The PlayStation VR will have its share of games available on launch, including EVE: Valkyrie and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood.

The Playroom VR and existing PlayStation Camera or Move products may be incorporated into the VR platform to consolidate products on release.

Although both platforms will feature major titles, the Oculus Rift may grow to have a larger number of titles in general, as it will be able to pull from the same pool of games as the HTC Vive in addition to the possibility of crowdfunded or indie games – which are more prevalent on PC than on consoles.

Both platforms are heavy-duty contenders in the VR industry and have a few major differences.

While the Oculus Rift may acquire more titles and will be able to offer a graphically-superior experience, it comes with a large price tag and heavy PC system requirements.

Although the PlayStation VR has a lower resolution and may get relatively less games, it may receive some exclusive titles. It also doesn’t worry the player with heavy hardware requirements.