Sony’s PlayStation VR2 is reportedly off to an underwhelming start with the virtual reality headset only expected to sell 270,000 units by the end of March.
As reported by Bloomberg, the figure comes from research firm IDC and, while 270,000 is still a lot of headsets, reports last year indicated that Sony was looking to produce two million PSVR 2 units to be sold by the end of March.
Vice president of data and analytics at IDC Francisco Jeronimo told Bloomberg that Sony would need to cut the price of the PSVR 2 to stop its launch being a “complete disaster”. The headset, which already sits at $549.99, is made even pricier by the additional $499.99 cost of the required PlayStation 5.
“Consumers around the world are facing rising costs of living, rising interest rates, and rising layoffs. VR headsets are not top of mind for most consumers under the current economic climate,” said Jeronimo. “I suspect a price cut on the PSVR2 will be needed to avoid a complete disaster of their new product.”
The headset launched on February 22 with 42 games, including headlining title Horizon: Call of the Mountain and a variety of virtual reality updates for critically acclaimed games like Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “With top-notch visual quality and immersively tactile Sense controllers, PlayStation VR2 represents a quantum leap over its predecessor, setting a new standard for console VR gaming.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.