Today Sony showed off the first consumer version of its PlayStation VR headset, revealing that the device will cost $399 and ship in October. But when will the next iteration come out?

Previously, the company has said that it's treating the release of PSVR the same as a new game console launch. Typically several years separate new consoles; the PS3 launched in 2006, while the PS4 followed in 2013. But virtual reality is different: it's a rapidly changing technology where new, important advancements happen regularly. Even the PSVR itself has become much more sophisticated since it debuted two years ago. And according to Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's worldwide studios, this means that PSVR might not have the same kind of upgrade cycle as a traditional game console.

"In terms of tech, VR is just starting, consumer VR is just starting, and there are also areas where R&D is being done; the resolution gets better, the interface, all of these kinds of things," Yoshida told The Verge in an interview. "So even though we are approaching PSVR on PS4 like a console — meaning that anyone can buy it without any technical knowledge — because this field is so new, and advancements will be everywhere as we continue to work on R&D, I can not say that the PSVR will have the same kind of cycle as a traditional console."

Stay tuned for our full interview with Yoshida very soon.