Bringing Sony’s virtual reality ambitions to the next generation on the PS5, the PSVR2 launched to a surprisingly strong reception in February 2023. Despite that, however, it hasn’t panned out for PlayStation’s VR platform. Now, just over one year later, Sony is pausing production of the PSVR2 as unsold stock is piling up.
When the PSVR2 dropped last year for the PS5, it blew people away with its new technical features, its comfort, and a strong and diverse offering among the best PSVR2 games. However, the device simply isn’t selling well enough. According to Bloomberg, Sony has “paused production of its PSVR2 headset until it clears a backlog of unsold units.”
Sony has produced over two million PSVR2 devices, but its sales have progressively slowed since launch and its stocks are piling up. With over a year now under its belt, Sony’s hesitance to reveal sales figures tells you all you need to know about how it’s performed.
Although it looks like the writing is on the wall for this underperforming yet powerful accessory, market analyst firm IDC believes there is still hope. VR and augmented reality devices are forecasted to grow on average 31.5% per year between 2023 and 2028, Francisco Jeronimo explains. As we note in our PSVR2 review, this device pushes the boundaries of VR, especially for console players. In other words, there’s a lot of potential being left on the table.
However, Sony’s recent wave of layoffs provides further evidence that PSVR2 is struggling and is being deprioritized. London Studio and Firesprite, which were affected by these layoffs, were the brains behind many of Sony’s VR projects. As Macquarie analyst Yijia Zhai rightly notes, “currently, there are limited games that support VR devices,” which in turn leads to a “lack of motivation for players to purchase VR hardware.”
Furthermore, it also paints Sony’s recent decision to bring PSVR2 to PC in a new light. With PS5 players not adopting the hardware quickly as eagerly as Sony had planned, it’s got its eyes on PC players to pull the slack and expand its appeal.
While Sony’s PlayStation VR future is uncertain, its lineup of PS5 exclusives and new PS5 games just keeps getting better, with the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Helldivers 2 drawing quite a crowd. It’s a shame then that this success hasn’t been replicated with the PSVR2, though pricing a headset at $550/£530 – which is more than the PS5 console itself – was always a tough sell.
Though we likely won’t be seeing an upgraded PlayStation VR for quite some time – if at all – the PS5 Pro is a hot topic right now. Check out the leaked PS5 Pro specs to find out all you need to know about this powerful upgrade that will let you enjoy the best PS5 games like never before.