Is Skyrim VR Worth The Price Of A Full Release Title?

Six years after its initial release, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has reached meme-worthy status for how many consoles and gaming platforms it has been ported or remastered on. The latest rendition of The Elder Scrolls V, Skyrim VR on the PSVR, was met with plenty of hype upon its announcement, with some thinking that this would be the title that would make gamers flock to Playstation’s virtual reality. While Skyrim VR very well could entice fans of The Elder Scrolls series to take the plunge and purchase a PSVR setup, it’s not likely to do that with its current price point.

Currently sitting at $59.99 USD ($79.99 for us Canadian folk), Skyrim VR is priced as a full-blown new release. This seems a little extreme for a game that was originally released in 2011. This price could be justified if the game’s complete package included last year’s remastered version with VR compatibility, similar to titles like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Gran Turismo Sport.

Let’s be honest, if you’re a PSVR owner you know it’s very unlikely you’ll play through Skyrim VR in its entirety. Playstation VR, at least at this stage, is not suited lengthy gaming sessions where you play 5-6 hours straight. Standing in your living room, flailing the Move controllers around like a maniac gets you sweaty and uncomfortable, and you likely won’t feel like continuing after a few short hours. This is why having the convenience of playing Skyrim normally and switching to VR whenever you feel like could easily justify the $59.99 price tag.

For a quick price comparison let’s take a look at Bethesda’s other flagship title that is making the jump to VR shortly, Doom. Doom VFR is also a stand-alone VR title, but at a much cheaper price for a game that is only a year old. The game isn’t released yet, but the price on retailer websites is currently sitting at $29.99 USD ($39.99 CAD). This is a much more reasonable cost for something that really should be an add-on to the existing version of the game.

To summarize, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is just not worth paying the price of a new release title, especially without the ability to play the game without VR. Unless you’re a diehard Skyrim fan that is willing to play VR for hours on end to get your money’s worth, the chances are the novelty of exploring the world of Skyrim in true first-person will wear off after a couple of hours and the game will end up sitting on your shelf collecting dust.