PSVR2 is off to a slow start, according to reports, with fewer than 300,000 units sold globally.
Consumers aren’t tripping over themselves in their rush to buy Sony’s latest virtual reality headsets. That’s according to a report at Bloomberg (via Kotaku), which suggests that the PlayStation VR2 has sold fewer than 300,000 units in its first month on sale. The more precise figure is thought to be closer to 270,000 units.
Sony has refuted Bloomberg’s earlier report that the Japanese company’s original goal for PSVR2 was nearer the 2 million mark. Nevertheless, with a global install base of around 30 million PlayStation 5s and counting, 300,000 headsets does sound like a dismally small number.
Some critics have argued that consumers are put off by the hefty price; the PSVR2 retails for £529.99 in the UK, or £569.99 with a copy of Horizon Call of the Mountain. And that’s after you’ve bought your PS5 (around £479 for one with a disc drive). If you’re feeling really flush, you could throw in a PSVR2 charging station while you’re at it (RRP: £39.99).
IDC, the research firm that came up with the new figures, suggests that Sony will have to cut the price of the PSVR2 in order to “avoid a complete disaster of their new product.”
The sales reports come at a bumpy time for VR and the general concept of the metaverse. Disney has reportedly closed its entire metaverse division. Facebook firm Meta has spent billions on VR tech and the metaverse, but with sales of Quest 2 headsets said to be down, the company was set to cut some 10,000 jobs as of mid-March. The wider tech industry now seems to be more struck by the possibilities of AI – and the money it can make through automation – than virtual reality and the metaverse.
It remains to be seen whether Sony will cut the price of the PSVR2, or whether it hopes that consumers are simply biding their time until the hardware’s first true killer app shows up.
If you do happen to own a PSVR2 headset, though, why not check out our list of the best games you can get for the hardware right now?
