Looks like things may not be as successful as Sony initially had us believe. Despite first reporting that the PlayStation VR2 headset had sold well throughout 2023, sales for Sony’s Virtual Reality (VR) device have slowed down significantly, causing a large backlog of unsold units, as reported by Bloomberg.
When the console first launched in February 2023, Sony had reported that its latest VR console, the PSVR 2, had sold nearly 1 million units from the 2 million units initially produced in 2023. According to what was told to the Financial Times by Eric Lempel, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s head of global business, the device was in “a bit of a challenging category right now,” but then added “there was a higher expectation generally for what VR would do to gaming”
The decrease in unit sales isn’t the only sign things aren’t going as smoothly as Sony would hope, as many of the announced titles for the PSVR 2 are not from any of the company’s first-party studios. Probably a major reason behind not using any of its first-party studios is due to the new wave of layoffs making its rounds through the company which saw 900 staff lose their jobs. This also includes Sony’s VR-focused London Studio which seems be the next target for a shutdown on Sony’s list.
Due to its drop in sales and lack of any powerhouse titles, the future for the PSVR 2 doesn’t seem all that bright as Sony had first anticipated. However, Sony is looking into adding PC compatibility which would allow players to use it to play other VR games via their PC. This should help make up for the lack of major releases or first-party interest, but only time will tell if the PSVR will be able to regain some of its lost traction, or Sony may have to do more to keep their device afloat.
