While Sony’s PlayStation consoles share a lot in common with Microsoft’s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Switch, there are a few things that set them apart.
The biggest noticeable difference between all three is that the Switch is portable, albeit limited by hardware.
The Xbox One, meanwhile, also boasts an impressive Xbox One Backwards Compatibility library, which they pledge will be available on all future consoles.
So what does that leave the PS4 and PS4 Pro?
Well, the PlayStation VR remains the only virtual reality device available to buy on console and is seen as a major selling point for fans.
Sony recently revealed that it has sold over two million PlayStation VR units, with more likely having gone during the recent holiday season.
And while there are still competitors in the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, the PlayStation VR looks set to get a major boost this year.
That’s because Sony have now confirmed that they want to launch A LOT of new games for it.
In a recent statement, the company confirmed they are looking increase the amount of games available from 150 to 280 by the end of 2018.
That’s a very ambitious number and would be a serious upgrade for owners of the PSVR device.
This jump in games is apparently due to the number of sales the PlayStation VR has achieved, which is partially down to the drop in price scheduled in October 2017.
This also sounds more like a prediction than an actual statement of how many games are coming to PSVR this year, with Sony quoting an 80% increase being possible.
So what about VR for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch?
The Xbox One X was originally advertised as a device that would boast mixed reality capabilities, however, not much has been heard about it since.
In a interview with CNBC, Panos Panay, corporate vice president of devices at Microsoft, revealed that we may “start to see that happen.”
“Mixed reality can span in so many different forms, whether it’s off the back of the device, whether it’s in virtual reality headsets that you have, or its HoloLens, you are starting to see that span through Windows and that platform for Windows does bring it to life,” Panay explained.
Xbox Marketing Manager, Albert Penello, was also asked in 2017 about VR on Xbox One X, hinting that more could be revealed in 2018.
As mentioned above, Microsoft do have their own mixed reality project moving forward, which is currently centered around the Windows platform.
And while it seems unlikely that the Nintendo Switch will support VR, dataminers recently discovered references to VR code support.
This doesn’t mean anything substantial, only that Nintendo could be leaving the door open for something, just in case.
There have also been several patents that have appeared in the past few years that point to potential VR experiments going on at Nintendo.