The PlayStation VR2, Sony’s latest virtual reality headset, doesn’t seem to have been the major hit the company was hoping for. Just over a year after the headset’s debut, Sony has reportedly paused production to deal with a surplus of unsold inventory, according to Bloomberg.
Overproduction and Underwhelming Sales
Sony is said to have manufactured well over 2 million units of the PlayStation VR2. However, according to analysts at IDC, the company only managed to sell around 1.7 million headsets in 2023. Even more concerning for Sony, sales appeared to have slowed significantly throughout the year. Despite the usual uptick in hardware sales during the holiday season, the fourth quarter was the most sluggish sales period yet for the PlayStation VR2. IDC reports that Sony sold just 325,200 units during those three months.
Lack of Compelling Games and Backward Compatibility
The PlayStation VR2’s lack of compelling games hasn’t helped its appeal to potential buyers. Sony has only released four VR experiences for the headset and has yet to announce any other first-party games for the platform. The company also recently closed its London Studio, one of its few in-house developers that had been making VR games. The lack of backward compatibility for games from the original PS VR headset may have also negatively impacted the current model’s prospects.
High Price and Limited Compatibility of PlayStation VR2
In our review, senior editor Devindra Hardawar gave the PS VR2 a score of 84, feeling that while it was a great headset overall, the high price and doubts over long-term support were significant concerns. Additionally, the headset only works with a PS5, but that could be about to change. Sony recently revealed that it was testing official PC support for the PS VR2, and it hopes to roll that out later this year. This could potentially give the company a much larger customer base for those who are interested in the hardware but don’t want a PS5. However, at $550, the PS VR2 costs more than a PS5, which is quite absurd.
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