Sony VR price may give it advantage

Chinese consumers can start ordering PlayStation VR headsets on Thursday as the Japanese tech giant Sony Corp moves quickly to enter the Chinese virtual reality market, which is expected to buy 40 percent of global VR devices in 2016.

Though months later than its archrival HTC Corp in shipping VR devices, PlayStation VR's low price will give Sony an upper hand meeting Chinese consumers' growing demand for an immersive gaming experience, analysts said.

The device will be priced from 2,999 yuan ($450), about $500 less than HTC Vive in China, which hit the streets in April. It will be formally released in China in October, but is already open for pre-orders at both online shopping sites as well as 22 bricks-and-mortar stores across the country.