Within the online game trade, 10 years might as nicely be a lifetime. Whole tech empires can rise and fall in that span given how rapidly the medium tends to evolve. When you want a concrete instance of that, look to the PlayStation VR, which launched on Oct. 13, 2016. On the time, the cumbersome headset felt like a mainstream turning level for a distinct segment nook of gaming that was nonetheless in its infancy. A decade later, the PSVR as a substitute stands as a monument to a doomed development that’s getting ready to extinction in 2026.
Whereas there was buzz about VR brewing within the mid-2010s, 2016 was the yr that correctly kicked off the development. It started when the Oculus Rift, a tool thought-about to be the primary client headset of the period, launched in March. That was rapidly adopted up by the HTC Vive in April, beginning a rat race within the headset market. Whereas these gadgets had been thrilling, they weren’t totally consumer-friendly, seeing as they required you to personal a gaming PC rig able to operating them.
The PlayStation VR seemed like the reply to that downside when it launched in October. As long as you owned a PlayStation 4, all you wanted to do was plug it in to the headset. Okay, it was a little extra sophisticated than that and required a multitude of cables, nevertheless it was nonetheless a simple setup in comparison with its opponents. It additionally seemed extra inviting; its white design got here off as pleasant and approachable subsequent to its black rival headsets that seemed like severe, sophisticated items of tech.
Regardless of these strengths, it took just a few years for the PSVR to actually come into its personal. Its launch recreation lineup wasn’t terribly memorable, with video games like PlayStation VR Worlds and Batman: Arkham VR doing little to shake the sensation that VR video games had been glorified tech demos. A number of nice video games showcased the potential, together with Ubisoft’s Eagle Flight and Rez Infinite, however PSVR actually didn’t take off for one more two years.
2018 was so vital for Sony’s headset that you could possibly nearly think about it a relaunch. Its recreation lineup received an enormous infusion of latest blood due to Tetris Impact, Moss, and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. All three video games had been the bonafide killer apps that had been wanted to persuade curious gamers to offer it a shot. I do know that for a reality, as a result of that’s after I purchased the PSVR. It was a scorching merchandise throughout that yr’s Black Friday gross sales, with moderately priced bundles that got here with heavy hitters like Moss. PSVR had already offered three million items as of August that yr, and the quantity appeared to rise dramatically throughout a profitable vacation season. VR on consoles has arrived.
Looking back, it’s now clear that 2018 was the height of the mountain for Sony’s VR experiment. Whereas new video games like Blood and Reality continued to push what the tech might do all through the headset’s life, Sony couldn’t stay on VR’s heart stage. In 2020, Oculus regained mainstream consideration with its Quest 2 headset. Valve additionally took the highlight that yr by releasing Half-Life: Alyx, a landmark VR recreation that you just couldn’t play on PSVR. Sony’s headset was beginning to really feel clumsier and fewer succesful because the tech developed quickly round a tool that was tethered to a last-gen console come 2020.
Sony’s final shot at making PSVR a viable a part of the panorama got here in 2023, due to the PlayStation VR 2. The revamped headset was a serious improve in each method. It was extra comfy, extra highly effective due to the PS5, simpler to arrange, and had a deep backlog of nice video games on day one. It appeared like Sony was severe about it provided that the gadget launched with Horizon: Name of the Mountain, a real first-party unique utilizing one in every of its greatest franchises.
The triumph was short-lived. PSVR2 was nearly useless on arrival, launching as mainstream curiosity within the tech had all however pale. Apart from launching a VR mode for Gran Turismo 7 and placing some promoting muscle into promising titles like Synapse, Sony appeared to desert the headset immediately. In 2024, one yr after the launch, Sony launched a PC adapter for the gadget. It was a technique to generate a final little bit of buzz, but in addition appeared like an admission that console VR merely wasn’t the longer term.
And if that was in query in 2024, it’s all however sure in 2026: This September, Sony reportedly transferred a number of patents associated to VR to Meta. On its 10-year anniversary, Sony has all however confirmed the tip of an period for its VR ambitions.
It’s a smart instance of an organization studying the room, as a result of the VR gaming trade is on its deathbed in 2026. Most of the celebrity builders behind VR’s biggest hits have pivoted to flat-screen video games. Others, together with Moss studio Polyarc, have shut down totally. Excessive-profile VR video games from main publishers have gotten much less frequent, with early adopters like Ubisoft stepping away from the tech totally. Any hope that Valve would revitalize the house with this yr’s Steam Body pale away when its excessive price ticket and lack of first-party recreation help got here to mild. There aren’t many causes to be optimistic in regards to the tech’s future as of late.
Whereas we’ll possible by no means see console producers moving into VR once more, there’s nonetheless just a little life left in an area that has shrunk right down to a devoted area of interest. A newly launched mod that provides Titanfall 2 VR help is popping heads (actually) in the meanwhile, suggesting that fan initiatives might acquire momentum with official recreation releases slowing down. There could also be a world the place VR gaming continues to hold on as an fanatic passion for individuals who wish to tinker with previous video games. (And Nintendo’s shock Digital Boy revival this yr taught us that typically doomed tech can get a nostalgia-tinged second life.) However the tech rat race that gave us the PSVR is firmly over, for higher or worse, wrapping up a 10-year journey in a wonderfully imperfect bow.