A new report from Bloomberg suggested Sony is “disappointed” with early pre-orders for its upcoming PSVR 2 headset, leading the company to reduce shipments ahead of launch.
Bloomberg’s report suggests Sony reduced projections “dramatically” for its initial PSVR 2 launch after disappointing pre-order numbers. Another report today from Gamesindustry.biz, however, seemed to refute Bloomberg. Notably, even now if you place an order for PlayStation VR2 it is scheduled to arrive during the February 22 launch week. The listed date suggests Sony had the infrastructure in place to take enough pre-orders that it would begin showing later timing for shipments if demand was high enough.
“We have not cut PlayStation VR2 production numbers,” Sony wrote to UploadVR in a prepared statement. “And we are seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans for the upcoming launch, which includes more than 30 titles such as Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Resident Evil Village.”
Bloomberg’s sources claim that Sony previously aimed to have 2 million headsets ready for launch, but halved its shipment forecast down to a million units for the quarter. Sony also reportedly told a supply partner to expect reduced display panel orders in light of the lower-than-expected demand. Between April 2023 and March 2024, Sony now plans to ship around 1.5 million PSVR 2 units, according to Bloomberg.
There are a variety of factors that could be influencing PSVR 2’s initial sales. One is timing – before we had an official release date, it seemed like PSVR 2 might launch at the end of 2022 to compete with Quest 2 during the holiday season. However, reports of delays came through mid-last year, and Sony later confirmed a release window of early 2023.
Another factor could be pricing. Sony’s PSVR 2 headset is $550 and also requires a PS5, sold separately starting at $400. Other VR headsets, such as Quest 2 and Pico 4, provide all-in-one standalone VR starting at $400 and $500 respectively – cheaper than the PSVR 2 headset alone.
PSVR 2 launches on February 22 with an impressive lineup of launch titles. We’ll have hands-on reports of the lineup and hardware as soon as we can, and we’ll be curious to see whether anything changes relative to the headset’s demand after release.
Editor’s note: Article was briefly published and then immediately updated with additional context. Article updated a couple hours after publication with an official statement from Sony.
