Update, October 24: While the official PlayStation VR try-before-you-buy tour (details below) is due to end in Manchester this Sunday, October 30, retailer Game says it will continue to offer PSVR demos at number of stores across the country. Unfortunately, though, Game will charge you a fair bit of money for the pleasure.

As revealed in a series of tweets from individual Game stores throughout the UK, the retailer is offering customers the chance to trial PSVR at a fee of £5 for 10 minutes, £10 for 20 minutes, or £15 for 30 minutes. If a customer decides to buy PSVR after a demo, the fee is refunded.

Sony has confirmed it is not behind the charges at Game stores, with the decision instead at the discretion of retailers. The official PSVR tour remains free.

Thinking about purchasing #PSVR ? Come and try it in store today! £5 for 10 minutes or £15 for 30 minutes! ? pic.twitter.com/IIIHNHSSI2 — GAME Cyfarthfa (@GAMECyfarthfa) October 22, 2016

Many gamers took to Twitter to express outrage at the charges, included famed indie game developer Mike Bithell who tweeted: "If there's one thing VR really needs, it's another paywall." Matthew Buckley tweeted at the Game store in Birmingham's Bullring: "Is this a joke? I'll buy mine from a retailer who doesn't charge. There are plenty of them. This is exploitative."

In a statement, Game said the charges were necessary in order to ensure "dedicated staff" were manning the demos. It also said the charges are a "Game-led initiative":

Our pay-to-play PlayStation VR experience is a Game-led initiative. The cost to use the in-store PS4 pod is entirely refundable for customers that go on to buy either the headset or a PS4 console. The payment allows us to ensure that we have dedicated staff manning the PlayStation VR pods who have been fully trained to adhere to best practice demo guidelines. The demos are intended to give our customers access to one of the most exciting new gaming technologies in 2016 and provide them with the opportunity to get a feel for VR before they commit to buy.

Last week, Game dismissed reports that company was struggling financially. Its profits fell 81 percent in the last financial year, and in May a review by credit insurers had reduced the retailer's level of insurance cover. Speaking to MCV, CFO Mark Gifford said "All of our suppliers are credit insured and there is no issue with any of our suppliers. We have enough cash and bullet proof financing to see us through this [product launches] peak and beyond."

You might also want to read our best VR headset guide before you decide to buy the PSVR, or indeed any of the VR headsets.

Original story

Still not sure whether you should fork over £350 for a PlayStation VR when it launches in the UK on October 13? Sony and high street retailer Game have launched "The Future of Play Tour," which brings the nascent VR headset to several cities and stores across the UK.

As an added bonus, gamers are able to book a specific half-hour time slot from 10am onwards to try PSVR by registering their details at trypsvr.com, thus (hopefully) avoiding a long wait in line on the day. A limited number of walk-in demos will also be available.

Games on show include multiplayer mech shooter RIGS Mechanized Combat League, space shooter Eve Valkyrie, minigame collection PlayStation VR Worlds, and retro remake Battlezone. The tour is open to anyone aged 12 or over.

Most of the tour is taking place at Game stores in each city. However, in the few cities that do not list a store, Sony hasn't yet detailed exactly where the demos will take place. This post will be updated as more data becomes available.

29 September - 2 October

Glasgow, Scotland - Location TBC

1-6 October

Edinburgh, Scotland - Game

Hull - Game

Gateshead, Tyne & Wear - Game, Metro Centre

6-9 October



Sheffield, Meadowhall - Location TBC

7-13 October

Manchester, Trafford Center - Game

London, Westfield, White City - Game

Telford - Game

12-16 October

London - Location TBC

20-23 October

Bristol - Location TBC

27-30 October

Manchester - Location TBC

If the tour convinces you to pick up a PSVR, be sure to pre-order it quickly. Amazon UK recently announced that pre-orders made today won't be fulfilled until the middle of December at the earliest. The retailer currently has the following disclaimer on its pre-order page:

Due to limited stock we are only able to offer one unit per customer per address. You will be notified via email of the expected delivery date closer to the time. We will be fulfilling customer orders in the order in which they were placed and expect to fulfil all customer pre-orders by December 12th, 2016.

Other retailers, including Game, are still taking orders for delivery on launch day, October 13.