Sony’sPlayStation VR2headset recently hit the market, but early projections suggest that it may not be selling as well as the originalPS VR, which was the best-selling virtual reality headset of its time. The projected sales of PS VR2 in its first five weeks indicate a slower pace when compared to the original PS VR.
Assuming that sales would be front-loaded in the device’s release month when the biggest VR enthusiasts are picking it up andmany high-profile games are launching, it does not look like there is much that can be done at this point to make up for the lackluster sales numbers short of doing something fairly drastic.
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As reported by Bloomberg, VR analyst Francisco Jeronimo suggests that a price cut for the PS VR2 may be required to avoid complete disaster. According to a report from the research firm that Jeronimo works for called IDC, PS VR2 is projected to sell around 270,000 units between its release date on February 22 and the end of March. In comparison,the original PSVR sold 915,000 unitsbetween October 2016 and February 2017, four months after its debut, and reached 1 million sales in June of that year.
Sony had set a goal of 2 million units for PS VR2’s launch window, which contrasts with the projected sales of fewer than 300,000 units by the end of March. It is far too early to deem PS VR2 a financial disaster, but it is possible that the high price of $550, which is more expensive than both of thePS5 models available to purchase, plus the fact that a PS5 console is required to use PS VR2, may be limiting the peripheral’s sales. IDC also agrees with this logic in its analysis, stating that the price of PS VR2 is too high, although the PS VR2 does pack in an incredible amount of tech for the price.
The slow growth of VR as a whole may also be a contributing factor. Virtual reality has not been embraced by mainstream consumers in the same way that mobile, console, or PC gaming has and if the projections for PS VR2 sales are accurate, it could indicate that the public demand for VR is in fact shrinking over time.
It remains to be seen whether the PS VR2 will continue to struggle in the market at its current price point, or whether Sony will even continue to pursue the VR market in the long term. However, it seems extremely clear that the price of the headset is a sticking point for potential buyers, and a price cut may be necessary for PSVR2 to succeed. Regardless of its sales figures,the PS VR2 is an impressive piece of technologythat offers a great VR experience, and it will be interesting to see how well it does going forwards.
