Report Alleges Halting of PlayStation VR2 Production

[T0@st]

The International Data Corporation (IDC) has been tracking sales of Sony's PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset since launch time (February 2023)—a new report claims that a backlog of unsold units has accumulated. Bloomberg's analysis of IDC data reveals that PS VR2 sales have consistently declined each quarter, despite promising early numbers—the publication alleges that Sony Group Corporation has paused production of its ($550 MSRP) PS VR2 headset: "until it clears a backlog of unsold units, according to people familiar with its plans, adding to doubts about the appeal of virtual reality gadgets." Anonymous industry moles reckon that manufacturing facilities have pumped out over two million examples since launch time. Sony is unlikely to admit, publicly, that it is having a tough time shifting its second generation virtual reality headset—Bloomberg's network of insiders believe that "stocks of the device are building up."

The lack of AAA content, developed exclusively for the PS VR2's ecosystem, is cited as big stumbling block—Bloomberg (alongside numerous publications) reckons that sales have suffered due to an absence of system-selling titles. Horizon: Call of the Mountain (2023) was an impactful launch title, but the headset's software portfolio contains a lot of "novelty" items, casual experiences and glorified tech demos (according to community feedback). Late last month, Sony admitted that it was exploring options beyond the VR2's normal mode of operation (PS5 acting as host): "We're pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5. We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates." This surprising announcement arrived mere days before the firing of (around) 900 PlayStation employees. Company leadership revealed that Firesprite's headcount would be reduced. This VR-oriented studio collaborated with Guerrilla Games on the development of Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Sony's London Studio will be closed down—its team had previously worked on PlayStation VR Worlds (2016) and Blood & Truth (2019)—compatible with Sony's first generation headset.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Space Lynx]

this makes no sense, especially when they just said its coming to PC later this year... lol and probably will sell like hotcakes for PC users

 

[neatfeatguy]

For months there have been claims about how PS5 is outselling everything (okay, maybe not everything, but at least Xbox)!

New Data Suggests That PS5 Has Outsold Xbox Series X/S 2-to-1 - IGN

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has sold around double the number of units as the Xbox Series X | S, according to data shared in a recent Take-Two Interactive earnings report.

www.ign.com

PS5 Has Outsold Xbox Series X|S 2 To 1, Newly Revealed Sales Data Suggests

Total console sales for the latest generation are up to 77 million total.

www.gamespot.com

So the consoles have been selling like hotcakes, but their VR headsets haven't?
I suppose I can see that because the headsets are $550 a pop whereas the PS5 itself is $500.

Sony expects people to drop over a grand on a console and a VR headset? Maybe I'm out of touch with console gaming, but that seems overly expensive.

 

[Deleted member 229121]

The lack of AAA content, developed exclusively for the PS VR2's ecosystem, is cited as big stumbling block

It's pricey but this is the big problem.
Hardware without a robust game catalogue to back it up is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Space Lynx]

It's pricey but this is the big problem.
Hardware without a robust game catalogue to back it up is a recipe for disaster.

yeah but its coming to PC, so thousands of VR titles will be open to it soon. this is just no different than the ram and nvme manufacturers cutting production/supply to artificially keep prices high. cause the "free markets" work so well lol

we should have 2.5" 8tb ssd at $150 by now, its all a joke scam.

 

[NC37]

yeah but its coming to PC, so thousands of VR titles will be open to it soon. this is just no different than the ram and nvme manufacturers cutting production/supply to artificially keep prices high. cause the "free markets" work so well lol

we should have 2.5" 8tb ssd at $150 by now, its all a joke scam.

Price is an issue when you consider the original PSVR being around $300. If you put it at that price again with PC functionality, it would definitely sell and likely lead to price drops among the other VR makers. Sony has shown time and time again since the PSP era that they aren't really capable of making decisions which would put them into a pole position.

 

[Octavean]

I would have been more receptive to the PSVR2 if it were less expensive, had a wireless operating mode and had better controller tracking (self tracking).