“The immersion I felt really is indescribable. I could sit here and type until I’m blue in the face, and still, I don’t think it’d be possible for me to convey how VR feels. Nobody can truly comprehend the experience it provides until they try it for themselves.”
That’s what I wrote about PlayStation VR following my brief time with it at E3 earlier this year. Seriously, and I can’t stress this enough, in order to fully understand the technology and its potential, you simply must try it out for yourself.
That’s one of the reasons why I was so happy with this year’s rAge. Apart from it being generally better than ever before (at least in my opinion), the expo gave hundreds (maybe thousands) of gamers/enthusiasts the opportunity to go face on with Sony’s headset. The result? Well, let’s just say that a lot more people are excited to get their hands on the hardware now. See? We weren’t completely mad to sing praises from the rooftops!
Unfortunately though, rAge only ran for a one weekend, so it could only offer X amount of people hands on time. If you missed out on taking PlayStation VR out for a spin, you’re going to have to wait for it to make its way to our shores I’m afraid.
And when it does, I truly hope retailers are going to offer customers the opportunity to try it out for free, unlike this chain in the UK, who are actually slapping on a cost for the service (via Eurogamer):
Thinking about purchasing #PSVR ? Come and try it in store today! £5 for 10 minutes or £15 for 30 minutes! pic.twitter.com/IIIHNHSSI2
— GAME Cyfarthfa (@GAMECyfarthfa) October 22, 2016
Am I the only one to think that is outright ridiculous? Paying that much money (or any at all) for a short demo? Obviously not – Twitter for example, is rampant with disgruntled people.
@GAMECyfarthfa Charging people to use psvr because it’s not expensive enough of a purchase already? This is actually pretty disgusting.
— Kevin Nott (@Kevin_Nott) October 22, 2016
@GAMECyfarthfa so your charging for a demo? I reay hope you go bankrupt
— Zakk1699 (@Zakk1699) October 23, 2016
@GAMECyfarthfa What a total rip off, you should be ashamed of yourselves. This is just another example of why game are losing market share.
— Easy Android Coding (@EACoding) October 22, 2016
I don’t think any retailer should be charging for this sort of thing. In fact, imagine going to test drive a car for example, and being told that you have to pay for either distance travelled, or time spent with the vehicle.
If it’s any consolation, GAME will at least waive the fee for those who decide to purchase their own unit following the demonstration. Now that there is amazing consideration and value for money (not really).
I hope our local retailers don’t get any bright ideas ideas. Can we please just let people try out PlayStation VR for free? It’s already expensive enough as is, and I think in order for it to truly take off, consumers are definitely going to need to understand what it’s all about first – you know, with hands on (or face on) time.
Last Updated: October 24, 2016
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 24, 2016 at 15:41
But gamers are used to paying for tech demos, just look at NMS.
Pariah ???
October 24, 2016 at 15:47
The cost was roughly the same too. $60 for 120 minutes.
Dutch Matrix
October 24, 2016 at 15:44
But what if it is a VR set he has pulled from stock he has paid for?
HairyEwok
October 24, 2016 at 15:56
He’s using the item to promote the rest of the stock he has.
Matthew Figueira
October 24, 2016 at 16:02
They can still sell it off later as a demo unit, at a discounted rate 🙂
Pieter Kruger
October 24, 2016 at 15:56
This is a good thing…..rather spend a few bucks for a couple of minutes on some very mediocre experiences than to fork out thousands of rands for something you’ll use maybe once a week to show off to friends when they come to braai…..
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 24, 2016 at 15:59
Yeah, otherwise you’re wasting money on a holo experience.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
October 24, 2016 at 16:04
teehee
Pieter Kruger
October 24, 2016 at 16:14
Exactly!
iusedtobe(a)regular
October 25, 2016 at 10:40
LOL, I see what you did there.
Matthew Figueira
October 24, 2016 at 16:02
For sure! My argument though is that this sort of thing should be free 😛
Dungeon of JJ
October 24, 2016 at 16:09
It’s like Early Access then, only it actually works 100% and different to ARK you won’t be getting a paid DLC before the product is finished.
HvR
October 24, 2016 at 16:12
R85 for 5 minutes!!!
Miriam on Strand street only charges R75 for 5 minutes … or so I’ve heard.
Krabby Paddy
October 24, 2016 at 16:16
Why let something be free when there are loads of people more than willing to pay? The gaming community is excellent at paying for things they shouldn’t be willing to pay for.
VampyreSquirrel
October 24, 2016 at 16:27
that’s a lot of money for 5 min
Kerrits
October 24, 2016 at 16:42
If it’s free to test it out, I fully intend to go and try it out in Incredible Connection, then order it for cheaper from Takealot.
iusedtobe(a)regular
October 25, 2016 at 10:39
I’ll try it out in store as long as they have a whole lot of cleansing wipes handy, I dont want another guys forehead pressed up against mine.