Sony believes there’s a “good chance” PSVR 2 can outsell its predecessor, according to its Chief Financial Officer.
Following a high-profile launch late last month, Sony hasn’t released PSVR 2 sales figures yet but it’s already talking up favorable comparisons to the original headset. Launched in 2016 for PS4, Sony last reported that PSVR sold 5 million units as of December 31, 2019 and, unsurprisingly, chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki believes its new PS5-powered headset can exceed this.
Speaking in a fireside chat at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference last week (reported by VGC), Totoki was questioned about PSVR 2 launch and sales expectations. “We are very happy to launch VR2 on PS5,” he stated, not revealing any specifics. “VR1, we sold over five million units, and I think we have a good chance to exceed that amount with PlayStation VR2.”
It may ease fears following Bloomberg’s January report that Sony was disappointed in the headset’s pre-orders, leading to reduced shipments. Sony later denied this report, claiming “we have not cut PlayStation VR2 production numbers” in a prepared statement to UploadVR. While Totoki’s statement about PSVR 2’s chances is vague, it’s worth remembering that the market has changed significantly since 2016.
PSVR 2 arguably targets the higher end VR market from 2023, with features like eye-tracking support and advanced haptic feedback. It also sells for a higher introductory price at $550 – more than the PS5 console itself, which starts at $400. The original PSVR was designed during modern VR’s infancy and developed over last few years of PS4’s lifecycle. It made use of controllers from the PS3 era and initially sold for $400.
The original PSVR headset was cheaper than competing Rift and Vive headsets, and it wasn’t competing with Meta Quest 2, either. Though Meta and Sony are targeting different ends of the market, Meta’s recently leaked internal roadmap confirmed that Quest has sold nearly 20 million units, putting Quest as a platform significantly ahead of PSVR. Most PSVR 2 launch games are also available on Meta’s flagship headset, barring first-party exclusives like Horizon Call of the Mountain, so convincing VR buyers to pick PSVR 2 instead of Quest 2 is challenging task for Sony.
Totoki’s statements didn’t end there. Discussing the wider VR market, he reportedly called it “one of the largest growth areas” in the media and entertainment sector for the first half of this decade. Claiming there’s “good potential” for the VR/AR market, VGC’s report also cites Totoki stating there’s “good potential of technology development in this field as well”.
