Not attaching to enough faces
Bloomberg has revealed that Sony’s new PlayStation VR2 Headset is projected to sell fewer than 300,000 units by the end of March. How much less? Well, PSVR2 is on track to hit 270,000. This is according to estimates from the International Data Corporation, a research firm that tracks these sorts of things.
Considering that Sony was looking to make 2 million units in its first three months (though it reportedly slashed this to 1 million and then refuted those reports), this is a pretty disappointing start. IDC analyst Francisco Geronimo has said that a price cut will be needed to avert disaster since many countries are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and many large corporations have announced massive layoffs in recent months.
My job involves covering video games, and I can’t justify the cost of VR. If I could, I’d want one to use on my PC, and the PSVR2 is locked entirely to the PS5. If I dug up buried treasure and was able to afford more than one VR headset, I’d still be hesitant to buy a PSVR2 since I don’t have the space to have a bunch of VR headsets lying around. So, in summary, if Sony wants me to have a PSVR2, it should not only just give me one but also buy me a house so I have the space for it.
For people who already have money and a house, PSVR2 has been marred by a shortage of available games and a complete lack of backward compatibility for PSVR1 games. Due to cost issues, VR is already a niche market, and Sony seems to be content with making it niche-er. I’m not a CEO, but when you take an already small market and try to take a slice of a smaller slice, then I don’t see how 2 million can happen. It doesn’t matter how fancy your tech is.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: Virtual reality? In this economy?
PSVR2 released on February 22, 2023 for a suggested price of $550.
