Sony will "utterly dominate the rest of the console cycle" with PlayStation VR

Has Sony just secured the upper hand in the console market with the PlayStation VR?

Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schachter seems to think so, after the reveal of the £350 price point for PlayStation VR.

Talking about the introduction of VR and expected mass-market adoption of new systems, Schachter expects there to be a number of VR hardware and software options by the end of the year, resulting in a forecase of 8 million units of PSVR sold in the headset's first two years.

"Sony has launched multiple video game consoles over the past 20+ years. It knows how to align retailers, developers, publishers, and others. It also knows how to market to consumers and deliver an experience that consumers love," said Schachter.

"While HTC and Facebook are focusing on a broad adoption of VR across social, entertainment, and enterprise, Sony's PlayStation team is laser focused on games and entertainment. Having EA's Star Wars Battlefront as an exclusive VR title is a positive and highlights Sony's experience in gaming,"

HS Technology's Piers-Harding Rolls added, "Sony's walled garden approach to the PS4 platform means it is well placed to provide a better controlled and consistent VR experience to consumers. This will be important in driving adoption and positive word of mouth for PlayStation VR."

Microsoft's Hololens won't be ready anytime soon, and their focus isn't solely on gaming with the Xbox One.

"A big open question is, what will Microsoft do to respond?" said Schachter, when commenting on Sony's console competitors. "Without a response, we would expect Sony to utterly dominate the rest of the console cycle."

It's still early days, but that seems to be pretty much on the nose in terms of what's going on with VR right now and how the market will unfold. Do you think Sony's PSVR will lead to a mass exodus to their platform, or are they overestimating the general public's desire to hop aboard the VR train?