It isn’t easy to sell someone on virtual reality. It’s been a gimmick for years in pop culture, and up until a year or so ago it still all seemed like science fiction. So of course companies like Oculus, HTC, Valve, and Sony want you, and anyone else, to try their products out. With the release of PSVR, you’d expect this cheaper (and arguably more consumer friendly) product to be available for demo piratically everywhere and for free. However, in the UK, it seems like the free part is a bit of sticking point.
GAME stores (think Gamestop, but not American) and pubs in the UK and Ireland are offering paid demos for PSVR. This is happening at several game stores around the UK, and at every store offering these demos, they’re charging the same price, £5 for ten minutes or £15 for 30 minutes. Sony is offering free PSVR demos standard as long as you register in advance, but has left the decision to charge for demos up to retailers. GAME is reportedly offering refunds on these “experiences” if you decide to spend the $400 for your own headset, assuming they have them in stock.
You can check out the Twitter for GAME stores in Kendal, Bromley, Westwood, as well as a gaming bar, and some “evidence” gathered together on the PSVR subreddit. Seems to be pretty coordinated just to be a few rogue stores, and very unfair to the curious consumer.
