Sony definitely pleased the crowd today on the first day of E3, the annual video game conference show in Los Angeles. With several big announcements that many have been waiting for, Sony may yet again be crowned champion (at least in the public opinion) of the conference, especially after the long-awaited announcement of PlayStation VR’s official release date.
Sony’s conference started off with a live orchestra performance of some music from Sony Computer Entertainment’s critically acclaimed and Greek-mythology inspired God of War franchise. The impressive performance moved seamlessly into a live demo of a new game in God of War franchise, showcasing stunning graphical improvements over God of War: Ascension’s most recent entry into the franchise in 2013. Trailers for several other new games were also presented, ranging from the more artistic The Last Guardian (expected to be in the same narratively and visually rich style as both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) to the post-apocalyptic open-world Days Gone, which is sure to catch the attention of those who enjoyed 2013’s The Last of Us.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shawn Layden was the host of the conference, and he was responsible for announcing the release of PlayStation VR. “I’m happy to announce here,” Layden said over a growing applause, “that on October 13, PlayStation VR will make its debut in the United States.” With more than 50 games available at launch, including an adaptation of the long awaited Star Wars Battlefront reboot from last year, the VR headset will retail for only $399, making it a highly competitive option in the growing virtual reality video game market.
By Andrew Janson
