There's an important detail to look for when buying PlayStation 4 games this holiday
With over 40 million PlayStation 4 game consoles in the wild, and the holiday shopping season fast approaching, customers are about to hit the stores for the dozens of new games arriving on the PS4 in the coming weeks.
Sony is ready for action.
The Japanese hardware company has two new versions of the PlayStation 4 on the market - one slimmer than before, one more powerful (and more expensive) - and a brand new virtual reality headset. The headset - PlayStation VR - is powered by the PlayStation 4. It plays games, it plays movies, it enables you to visit the darkest depths of the deepest oceans and the highest heights of Everest.
It arrives on October 13, and it costs $400.
If you don't have a PlayStation Camera, which is required to use PlayStation VR, that's another $60 (there's also a $500 bundle that comes with a camera, motion controllers, and a game).
Alongside the launch of PlayStation VR, which Sony says it's treating like the launch of a new gaming platform, a smattering of new games is arriving. "Approximately 50 titles" are said to arrive, "before the end of 2016." Many of these games will be available on disc, in stores. And that's important for you to know even if you don't plan on buying PlayStation VR: These games won't work without the VR headset.
As such, Sony's clearly labeling the boxes:
Do you see it?
Not only is there the "PlayStation VR Game" label on top, but there's the "You'll Need These" label in the lower right.
Here's a more clear illustration:
Take note! PlayStation 4 game boxes labeled as such are intended for folks who own a PlayStation 4 as well as the new PlayStation VR headset. These games are useless to someone who doesn't own PlayStation VR.
So: If you're looking to buy someone a video game gift this year, and you know they own a PS4, be careful not to snag one of these games by accident.