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Sony's PlayStation VR headset will cost you $399 and it's coming in October (pictures)

Speculation and rumour are over: PSVR, the virtual reality headset for the PS4, will launch in October and you'll spend $399/£349/AU$550 for the privilege.

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Nic Healey
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1 of 18 Josh Miller/CNET

PlayStation VR arrives

Once known only by the shadowy title of Project Morpheus, the PlayStation VR headset will be released this October.

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The price

At $399/£349/AU$550, the PSVR is cheaper than both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift.

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In the box

What you get: a tethered headset and a lot of cables.

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The magic box

You'll also get the box that translates the signals from the PS4 into something that the headset can display.

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No camera, no controllers

To be clear, that price tag is actually just for the headset itself. No cameras or controllers will come with the PSVR, but it does need both of those to work.

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Spec sheet

OLED screens offering 960x1,080-pixel resolution per eye are jammed in, with head-tracking sensors and a combination of low latency and high refresh rates keeping everything visually sharp.

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The PSVR pitch

Sony is pushing VR into an already burgeoning market, with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive looking at the PC gamers and a lot of other headset options, like Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR, for people wanting a phone-driven VR experience.

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The PS ecosystem

But it has the distinct advantage of coming with an established brand name and an ecosystem of products to work with.

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Fiddly upgrades

So while PC gamers are busily rebuilding their systems to provide the grunt that PC VR gaming will need, PlayStation 4 owners are being presenting with what is, essentially, a plug-and-play headset.

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Broad appeal

That adds some appeal for the PSVR -- even if you will need to buy the PlayStation Eye camera, because seriously, no one actually owns that.

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And the PS4

And of course you need the PS4 for the magic to happen. But you knew that already, right?

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Launch titles

Sony is leveraging its developer network to ensure that there's a solid launch catalogue of titles.

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Games, games, games

In fact, there will be 50 games ready for the PSVR at launch.

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Star Wars

Unsurprisingly, EA's Star Wars Battlefront game was a big plug for the headset.

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Dual Shock

In addition to the Move wands, the PSVR will still work with the PS4's standard Dual Shock controller.

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Counter-intuitive?

Of course, when you're using the Dual Shock, that really makes the PSVR a gaming display, albeit an immersive and fun one. The Move controllers allow for a move intuitive style of hand movements for a real VR experience.

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What's it like to use?

Like all the other VR headsets, a lot of whether it's enjoyable to use or not comes down to the individual.

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Basically fun

But our hands on time has proven to be fun, with a lot of cool visual and interactive experiences on offer. Sony's clear commitment to the product should make for a good run of games during its lifespan.

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