PSVR2

Update: Sony has provided GamesIndustry.biz with a statement where it denies claims made by Bloomberg that it has halved its PSVR2 sales estimates for the headset's launch. Sony says it hasn't cut production numbers — a number it has never made public — and is actually "seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans for the upcoming launch".

This is the second time Sony has publicly denied a Bloomberg report, with the previous one touting issues surrounding the production of PS5 consoles. The website claimed the hardware manufacturer had reduced its console estimates through until March 2021 by four million units. Sony then denied the report, stating it has "not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production".


Original story: Sony has halved its sales estimates for the first quarter PSVR2 spends on the market, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The company originally planned to flood the market with two million next-gen headsets, but inside sources now say those proposals have been reduced to one million. This is apparently due to disappointing pre-order numbers.

The report then goes on to state Sony plans to ship another 1.5 million PSVR2 headsets between April 2023 and March 2024. A supply partner has been told to expect reduced display panel orders, but it may come back for more if demand for the device increases. PSVR2 is slated to release on 22nd February 2023 alongside showpiece game Horizon Call of the Mountain and more than 30 other launch titles.

Since the original PSVR headset had sold five million units as of January 2020, the notion to have almost half that total ready for purchase at launch suggested Sony is heavily investing in the optional PS5 add-on. Should the report prove to be true, poor pre-order numbers will come as a disappointment to Sony and could impact how much time and effort it commits to the virtual reality device.

From our end, a recent PSVR2 Hands On session revealed eye technology support to be the big game changer. "It all comes across as the next big step for VR. Using Horizon Call of the Mountain as its showpiece product, PSVR2 represents what some PS5 fans feel they still haven't gotten from their main console just yet: a genuinely big leap into the future of gaming technology."

[source bloomberg.com]