Support NeoGAF

[Eddie-Griffin]

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456504/sony-ps-vr2-has-a-good-chance-of-outselling-the-original/

Sony executive deputy president and CFO Hiroki Totoki during a chat at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference this week stated he believes the PlayStation VR2 has a good chance of outselling the original, which sold over five million units.

"We are very happy to launch VR2 on PS5," said Totoki via VideoGamesChronicle. "VR1, we sold over five million units, and I think we have a good chance to exceed that amount with PlayStation VR2."

He added there are forecasts that the virtual reality market has a chance of being one of the largest growth areas in the media and entertainment segment in the first half of this decade.

The original PlayStation VR released for the PlayStation 4 in October 2016 and ended up selling over five million units by the end of 2019.

The PlayStation VR2 launched last month for the PlayStation 5 at a price of $549.99 / €599.99 / £529.99. It is currently only available to purchase via PlayStation Direct.

There was a rumor a few days ago there would be a sales report this week (the IDC report is now out buy you need to pay $5500 to see it early before Sony announces) so we'll see if that rumor is going to be true or not.

However, Hiroki is confident that PSVR2 will outsell the original. Although I am wondering about the PSVR2 only being available via direct in some region. the original PSVR1 was all over stores and there were demos at several of them for people to try. I'm curious why Sony hasn't done that again in several places, especially in the US. Perhaps direct sales have done bigger than people are expecting and Sony is saving money by not using the same strategy.

 

[X-Wing]

Well VR is a lot more popular now than it was when the PSVR1 was released. It is also being very well supported with both first and third party games... We will see.

 

[Fess]

Although I am wondering about the PSVR2 only being available via direct in some region. the original PSVR1 was all over stores and there were demos at several of them for people to try. I'm curious why Sony hasn't done that again in several places, especially in the US. Perhaps direct sales have done bigger than people are expecting and Sony is saving money by not using the same strategy.

Here in Sweden it’s sold as usual at all the usual stores. Going by anecdotal evidence and store supply it’s not selling well but we have to pay $700 for it here. Haven’t checked if there are demos.

 

[Baki]

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456504/sony-ps-vr2-has-a-good-chance-of-outselling-the-original/


There was a rumor a few days ago there would be a sales report this week (the IDC report is now out buy you need to pay $5500 to see it early before Sony announces) so we'll see if that rumor is going to be true or not.

However, Hiroki is confident that PSVR2 will outsell the original. Although I am wondering about the PSVR2 only being available via direct in some region. the original PSVR1 was all over stores and there were demos at several of them for people to try. I'm curious why Sony hasn't done that again in several places, especially in the US. Perhaps direct sales have done bigger than people are expecting and Sony is saving money by not using the same strategy.

Maybe they can sell 5.1 million in 6 years instead of 5 million in 6 years.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

see, my boy Eddie-Griffin knows what's up.

 

[GhostOfTsu]

They should sell it in stores and online on Amazon/Walmart if they want to sell more. Many people don't even know it's out.

 

[abstract alien]

What is the attachment rate like for PSVR 1 and 2? I'd imagine it to be pretty high considering there are a limited number of games that utilize it.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Outsold PS5s in its first week in Spain.

 

[Moses85]

Get HL Alyx

And

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Here in Sweden it’s sold as usual at all the usual stores. Going by anecdotal evidence and store supply it’s not selling well but we have to pay $700 for it here. Haven’t checked if there are demos.

There's a lot of mixed reception regarding the performance of the headset itself (not the features) but we won't know until a firm reports/leaks out the number or Sony gives it out themselves whether they are trending in the right direction or not.

But I do think that being direct only in some regions, including the US which was a big purchaser of PSVR1, may have an impact here because PSVR1's were in stores, demo's, free stuff they would give consumers, and more marketing.

They have been gradually picking up the marketing the last couple weeks to be fair.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

Give it official PC support and it could be easily done.

 

[Techies]

Can remember PSVR having sold 4 million, when the Quest2 hit 1 million.

Now the Quest2 is approaching the 20 million mark.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Can remember PSVR having sold 4 million, when the Quest2 hit 1 million.

Now the Quest2 is approaching the 20 million mark.

You mean the Quest 1.

 

[GHG]

Give it official PC support and it could be easily done.

I'd buy one in a heartbeat if it got official support on PC with Steam VR integration.

 

[Azelover]

For an expensive add on those are pretty good numbers.

 

[Taddypole]

Here in Sweden it’s sold as usual at all the usual stores. Going by anecdotal evidence and store supply it’s not selling well but we have to pay $700 for it here. Haven’t checked if there are demos.

Question when saying it isn't selling well what are you comparing it to ? is it not selling as well as the quest in the store ?

 

[RoboFu]

I mean I’m sure there are at least 5 million YouTuber wannabes that will buy it out the gate. Seems to be a pretty easy target.

 

[Taddypole]

What is the attachment rate like for PSVR 1 and 2? I'd imagine it to be pretty high considering there are a limited number of games that utilize it.

I wonder that as well

 

[RoboFu]

What is the attachment rate like for PSVR 1 and 2? I'd imagine it to be pretty high considering there are a limited number of games that utilize it.

It’s always attached with cables.

 

[Kilau]

I'd buy one in a heartbeat if it got official support on PC with Steam VR integration.

Can’t imagine that would happen unless Sony got a cut of the VR games sold there.

We don’t know the cost per unit but it’s probably sold at a loss.

 

[Rubik8]

Give it official PC support and it could be easily done.

Why would they sell you the hardware at a loss (most likely) so you can can buy games from another ecosystem where they get no cut?

 

[Rudius]

The PSVR2 is much better than the original PSVR: simple plug and play, great controllers, good tracking, foveated rendering with eye-tracking to facilitate flat ports, not to mention better resolution and field of view. I hope it is a success.

 

[THE DUCK]

Interesting that Sony sees 5-10 million as a success. Many other mainstream devices and add ons think of numbers like this as a failure, but I think they are really just hoping to break even for future considerations in the vr space.

 

[Fess]

Question when saying it isn't selling well what are you comparing it to ? is it not selling as well as the quest in the store ?

Highly anecdotal, I’m just going by store supply. It’s not selling out and Sweden is a tiny country and likely didn’t get all that many units going by console allocations.

 

[Raonak]

Hoping it does well, it's such a fantastic device, probably the most fun i've had with my PS5

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Well is good they are keeping their expectations realistic.I can see it easily passing that 5M mark as its a more all-around better attempt at VR than their original.

Funny thing though, is that if they make the headset officially support PC, sales would at least double.

 

[remember_spinal]

Well is good they are keeping their expectations realistic.I can see it easily passing that 5M mark as its a more all-around better attempt at VR than their original.

Funny thing though, is that if they make the headset officially support PC, sales would at least double.

Sony would rather sell consoles than vr hardware they lose money on

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

I saw it in-store here in Australia on the weekend. At AUD$880 it's going to be a tough ask for many. I'd love to get one for GT7 but given the way interest rates and cost of living are going over here I'll be waiting hopefully for a price drop down the track.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Its in all stores an amazon etc here in Canada, seems only the US is direct.

 

[SoloKingRobert]

I saw it in-store here in Australia on the weekend. At AUD$880 it's going to be a tough ask for many. I'd love to get one for GT7 but given the way interest rates and cost of living are going over here I'll be waiting hopefully for a price drop down the track.

Brexit has really affected your country /s

Anything happens here in the UK, it's always Brexit.

 

[Crayon]

Interesting that Sony sees 5-10 million as a success. Many other mainstream devices and add ons think of numbers like this as a failure, but I think they are really just hoping to break even for future considerations in the vr space.

I've been guessing at 5-10 mil for awhile now while trying to get everyone else to take a guess. I never heard anyone say 15, 20, etc. I hardly heard anyone put anything on the table. I know you've seen me ask.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

Brexit has really affected your country /s

Anything happens here in the UK, it's always Brexit.

Over here everything is blamed on the housing market. Probably for good reason tho tbh it's expensive as fuck!

 

[Mahavastu]

Its in all stores an amazon etc here in Canada, seems only the US is direct.

Germany too, I guess some countries more...

 

[ReBurn]

PSVR did pretty well considering how hokey of a contraption it is.

 

[Zekra Dezivad]

Here in Sweden it’s sold as usual at all the usual stores. Going by anecdotal evidence and store supply it’s not selling well but we have to pay $700 for it here. Haven’t checked if there are demos.

How many PS5s they sold in Sweden? Since it's not a stand alone product I don't think it will have a big presence in stores this year

 

[Crayon]

PSVR did pretty well considering how hokey of a contraption it is.

It had good games. That's why I stuck with it even after it was feeling annoyingly outdated. Still had plenty of games to play and get my money's worth out of it. Also why I'm pretty confident in vr2.

 

[Gambit2483]

Lower the Price, Or...

 

[lukilladog]

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Sony would rather sell consoles than vr hardware they lose money on

Guess you didn't know sony sells its VR hardware at a profit.

Should be obvious being t is a niche product. You don't adopt a loss leader model for niche products.

 

[remember_spinal]

Guess you didn't know sony sells its VR hardware at a profit.

Source?

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Source?

Based on the strategy they adopted with the original. No reason to think otherwise now, especially considering this one is even $150 more expensive than the original.

 

[gothmog]

Seems like the right stance to take. Versus someone like Meta that banks the whole company on VR. Sell more than the last generation, finance future VR research, and make sure the next version is locked in.

 

[remember_spinal]

Based on the strategy they adopted with the original. No reason to think otherwise now, especially considering this one is even $150 more expensive than the original.

Its not 150 more expensive, the origina l didn’t come with the controllers or camera

 

[Crayon]

There mightr be a profit on it might not. If there is, it's probably not much.

If they offered pc support, they're also offering pc tech support. To people who are just buying games off steam or playing mods. I would guess that's not too enticing.

We need to cross our fingers for a good hack and unofficial support.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Its not 150 more expensive, the origina l didn’t come with the controllers or camera

Semantics, the point is that sony never made PSVR and sold it at a loss. And that was even when they didn't know how it would perform. Now they have an idea exactly how it would perform, no reason to think they would now be selling it at a loss. There is more evidence to suggest they wouldn't than to suggest what you are saying.

And VR is pretty much like a peripheral, like a controller. You do not sell peripherals at a loss.

 

[Crayon]

Semantics, the point is that sony never made PSVR and sold it at a loss. And that was even when they didn't know how it would perform. Now they have an idea exactly how it would perform, no reason to think they would now be selling it at a loss. There is more evidence to suggest they wouldn't than to suggest what you are saying.

And VR is pretty much like a peripheral, like a controller. You do not sell peripherals at a loss.

No arithmetic is not semantics lol. You said they reaised the price by 150. The moves were $100 and the headset was $400. So not including the camera that's $50 less 7 years ago.

And more like a controller? I'm going to say it's more like a whole platform. You don't have to bootstrap a software economy for a controller. And people are not going to buy any games for a controller to offset the cost.

Hey i don't know if they are making or losing moneyy on it but I don't think you do either.

 

[kyliethicc]

Sony would rather sell consoles than vr hardware they lose money on

Sony isn't selling PSVR2 for a loss at $550

thats why its $550 not $400


now, if you want an accurate version of that sentence, its:

"Sony would rather sell VR headsets than handhelds they'd lose money on"

and thus no PSP3

 

[remember_spinal]

Sony isn't selling PSVR2 for a loss at $550

Just because its more expensive (barely) than the crappy psvr1 doesn’t mean they are making a profit on it. A comparable PCVR set is twice as expensive

This thing is like 2 generations ahead of PSVR1 and those crappy move controllers

 

[yurinka]

I think PSVR2 will reach 5M in 3 years or less and that will end selling 8-12M units.

Sony isn't selling PSVR2 for a loss at $550

Sony is selling it at a loss because it has better tech than PC VR headsets being sold 2 or 3 times that price.

It has that price pretty likely because they estimated it was the right spot for this tech and because it's slightly cheaper than the compete PSVR1 kit was when released adjusted by inflation. Probably considered that a for a cheaper price would have meant to reduce the specs, which would make it less appealing so wouldn't have affected sales.

The first numbers we have from country specific sales are promising and lead to think that the launch is being very successful, meaning apparently the price was ok.

There mightr be a profit on it might not. If there is, it's probably not much.

I think that as happens with cloud gaming or as happened with PSVR1 Sony isn't expecting profits from the hardware or the games, but instead is making the first steps for the technology, pioonering and innovating building expertise, fanbase, technology (+patents) and positioning in the market earlier than the other ones to be the market leader once hopefully the tech becomes profitable and relevant somewhere in the future.

It's like the super expensive tvs or phones that have the latest tecnology: only a few early adopters buy them. But later in the road the market evolves and they end becoming a mainstream tech. I think they don't expect VR to go mainstream until PSVR4 or so, which probably won't have traditional controllers for the hands or bulky headsets.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

I never heard anyone say 15, 20, etc.

Yes you have, multiple times.