PlayStation VR

report:-sony-stops-producing-psvr2-amid-“surplus”-of-unsold-units

Report: Sony stops producing PSVR2 amid “surplus” of unsold units

Too many too late? —

Pricy tethered headset falters after the modest success of original PSVR.

PSVR2 (left) next to the original PSVR.

Enlarge / PSVR2 (left) next to the original PSVR.

Kyle Orland / Ars Technica

It looks like Sony’s PlayStation VR2 is not living up to the company’s sales expectations just over a year after it first hit the market. Bloomberg reports that the PlayStation-maker has stopped producing new PSVR2 units as it tries to clear out a growing backlog of unsold inventory.

Bloomberg cites “people familiar with [Sony’s] plans” in reporting that PSVR2 sales have “slowed progressively” since its February 2023 launch. Sony has produced “well over 2 million” units of the headset, compared to what tracking firm IDC estimates as just 1.69 million unit shipments to retailers through the end of last year. The discrepancy has caused a “surplus of assembled devices… throughout Sony’s supply chain,” according to Bloomberg’s sources.

IDC estimates a quarterly low of 325,000 PSVR2 units shipped in the usually hot holiday season, compared to a full 1.3 million estimated holiday shipments for Meta’s then-new Quest 3 headset, which combined with other Quest products to account for over 3.7 million estimated sales for the full year.

The last of the tethered headsets?

The reported state of affairs for PSVR2 is a big change from the late 2010s when the original PlayStation VR became one of the bestselling early VR headsets simply by selling to the small, VR-curious slice of PS4 owners. At the time, the original PSVR was one of the cheapest “all-in” entry points for the nascent market of tethered VR headsets, in large part because it didn’t require a connection to an expensive, high-end gaming PC.

In the intervening years, though, the VR headset market has almost completely migrated to untethered headsets, which allow for freer movement and eliminate the need to purchase and stay near external hardware. The $550 PlayStation VR2 is also pricier than the $500 Meta Quest 3 headset, even before you add in the $500 asking price for a needed PS5. Sony’s new headset also isn’t backward compatible with games designed for the original PSVR, forcing potential upgraders to abandon most of their existing VR game libraries for the new platform.

Even before the PSVR2 launched, Sony was reportedly scaling back its ambitions for the headset (though the company denied those reports at the time and said it was “seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans”). And since its launch, PSVR2 has suffered from a lack of exclusive titles, featuring a lineup mostly composed of warmed-over ports long available on other headsets. An Inverse report from late last year shared a series of damning complaints from developers who have struggled to get their games to run well on the new hardware.

Put it all together, and PSVR2 seems like a too-little-too-late upgrade that has largely squandered the company’s early lead in the space. We wouldn’t be shocked if this spells the end of the line for Sony’s VR hardware plans and for mass-market tethered headsets in general.

Report: Sony stops producing PSVR2 amid “surplus” of unsold units Read More »

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PSVR 2 Outsold Original PSVR in First 6 Weeks, Sony Confirms

Sony revealed PSVR 2 outperformed the original PSVR in sales in the first six weeks, taking a strong early lead over the company’s first-gen PlayStation headset.

An investor relations presentation delivered by Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Jim Ryan includes some new information detailing PSVR 2 units sales relative to the original PSVR launched in October 2016.

According to a chart in Ryan’s presentation, Sony’s latest headset has sold 8% more than the original in the first six weeks, ostensibly spanning from its February 22nd, 2023 launch to April 5th.

Image courtesy Sony

The graph’s y-axis is unlabeled, although it’s likely those numbers are in the thousands of units, which would mean PSVR 2 sold around 450,000 units in its first week, trailing up to just under 600,000 at the six-week mark.

PSVR 2’s adoption curve is notably flatter than the original PSVR, which started at just north of 300,000 units in its first week, ending up at around 550,000 units by week six. When Sony last released sales figures in 2020, the original PSVR had sold around 5 million lifetime units. Notably, PSVR reached its first million in just under its five months.

PSVR 2’s game library consists of a few strong anchor titles, such as Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil Village, and Gran Turismo 7 while offering an array of upgraded PSVR content and newly ported Quest titles. Upcoming titles include Ghostbusters VR, Beat Saber, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, Resident Evil 4, Synapse, The Foglands, Green Hell VR, and Behemoth.

To keep PSVR 2’s unit sales above the original, the company undoubtably needs to focus on widening its content offering in the coming months. The company is hosting a PlayStation gaming showcase later today which we hope will reveal a little more about the company’s near-term content strategy for PSVR 2.

PSVR 2 Outsold Original PSVR in First 6 Weeks, Sony Confirms Read More »

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Update: Sony Refutes Report That It Cut PSVR 2 Production Forecast

Following a Bloomberg report which claimed Sony had cut its production forecast for PSVR 2, the company flatly refuted the claim.

Update (January 31st, 2023 – 12: 51PM PT): Sony refuted a Bloomberg report earlier today that claimed the company had cut its production forecast for PSVR 2 in lieu of lower than expected pre-orders. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the company said it has “not cut PlayStation VR2 production numbers,” and further claimed it is “seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans for the upcoming launch, which includes more than 30 titles such as Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Resident Evil Village.”

The original article, detailing the Bloomberg report, continues below.

Original Article (January 31st, 2023 – 5: 31AM PT): Slated to launch on February 22nd, Sony was expected to produce an initial run of two million PSVR 2 headsets, however a recent Bloomberg report maintains the company has reduced those forecasts to just one million in the first quarter.

Citing people familiar with deliberations, Sony reportedly told a supply partner to expect reduced display panel orders, allegedly stating that it only expects to sell 1.5 million units between April 2023 and March 2024.

Only Aiming to Meet PSVR (2016) Unit Sales?

To put it into perspective, the original PSVR for PS4 sold two million units after about 14 months on store shelves. At the time of PSVR’s launch in October 2016, over 70 million PS4s were in the wild, making for a pretty large potential install base.

Out of the gate, PS5 unit sales were largely held back by the global manufacturing cooldown starting in 2020, so many of those console sales are probably fairly recent. At CES 2023 earlier this month, Sony said it has sold 30 million PS5 consoles to date, noting at the time that December 2022 was the biggest month ever for PS5 console sales.

Here’s a chart of PSVR unit sales spanning launch up to 2020, showing an early bump to one million sales, and a slower protracted growth period to five million units over the course of three years.

Data courtesy Sony

Although less than half as many PS5 consoles are in the wild in comparison to PS4, the VR landscape has changed a great deal over the years. Market leader Meta hasn’t released Quest 2 sales figures, however analysts suggest Meta has shipped somewhere between 10 and 15 million Quest 2 units since launch in late 2020, meaning potential interest in VR is at an all-time high.

Provided the reports are true, Sony is only hoping to essentially match its original sales figures of PSVR over the next 14 months, which may signal it has markedly lower expectations for its next-gen VR headset overall. But why? In the end, it probably comes down to the all-in price of PSVR 2 and the lack of strong anchor titles to convert PS5 owners.

Photo by Road to VR

At its cheapest, PS5 costs $500, while PSVR 2 (and included controllers) costs $550, putting the all-in price of just the hardware at $1,050. This is undoubtedly a barrier to entry for newcomers, especially since the company’s best PS5 sales period was just a month ago. Brand new PS5 owners may not be able to rationalize another large gaming expense, especially in face of a worsening economic recession.

Then there are launch titles, many of which are remastered versions of extant Quest and PC VR games. Of the 30+ PSVR 2 launch day games announced by Sony, there are really only a handful of standout anchor titles: Horizon Call of the Mountain, Gran Turismo 7, and Resident Evil Village—the last two are flatscreen games getting VR compatibly support at PSVR 2’s February 22nd launch.

Notably missing is the slew of innovative first-party, ground-up VR games like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Blood & Truth, as well as taster packs like PSVR Worlds. The lack of heavy investment in exclusive content out of the gate may signal Sony is again forecasting long term growth similar to the original PSVR, casting it more as an optional accessory than a must-have expansion of its console gaming experience.

Granted, Sony has to think more in the long-term for its VR headsets than, say, standalone manufacturers like Meta, HTC, and Pico Interactive. Sony likely doesn’t expect to ship a prospective PlayStation 6 until 2028, recent reports contend, which means this is possibly the only PlayStation-compatible VR headset we’ll see for quite some time.

For now, at least, PSVR 2 represents class-leading hardware, but it will only be able to attract and retain users in the long-term with an increased focus on exclusive content, better bundling strategies, and a PS5 install base that will hopefully continue its path towards strong growth like we’ve seen in the recent months.

Update: Sony Refutes Report That It Cut PSVR 2 Production Forecast Read More »

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PSVR 2 Launch Day Games Revealed, 30+ Titles Including ‘Horizon’, ‘Resident Evil Village’ & ‘Gran Turismo 7’

PlayStation has finally revealed its launch day (or rather “launch window”) titles for PSVR 2. Notable highlights include Demeo, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Resident Evil Village, although there’s no word on when VR’s favorite block-slashing game is making the move to Sony’s next-gen VR headset.

First, here’s the list of guaranteed launch day games coming on February 22nd, 2023. Sgames are re-releasing completely, providing a paid pathway for upgrades, or coming as a free upgrade to players who already own the title for the original PSVR. We’ve put that info in bold for easier reading:

  • After the Fall (Vertigo Games)
  • Altair Breaker (Thirdverse)
  • Cities VR (Fast Travel Games)
  • Cosmonious High (Owlchemy)
  • Demeo (Resolution Games)
  • Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate (MyDearest Inc., Perp Games)
  • Fantavision 202X (Cosmo Machia, Inc.)
  • Gran Turismo 7 (via free update to PS5 version of GT7)
  • Horizon Call of the Mountain (Firesprite, Guerrilla)
  • Job Simulator (Owlchemy)
  • Jurassic World Aftermath (Coatsink)
  • Kayak VR: Mirage (Better Than Life)
  • Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! (Gemdrops, Inc.)
  • The Last Clockwinder (Pontoco/Cyan Worlds)
  • The Light Brigade (Funktronic Labs, purchase includes PS VR and PS VR2 versions)
  • Moss 1 & 2 Remaster (Polyarc)
  • NFL Pro Era (StatusPro, Inc., free PS VR2 upgrade)
  • Pavlov VR (Vankrupt)
  • Pistol Whip (Cloudhead, free upgrade)
  • Puzzling Places (Realities.io, free upgrade)
  • Resident Evil Village (Capcom, via free update to PS5 version of RE Village)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance)
  • Song in the Smoke (17 Bit)
  • STAR WARS: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (ILMxLab)
  • Synth Riders (Kluge Interactive, free upgrade)
  • The Tale of Onogoro (Amata K.K)
  • Tentacular (Devolver)
  • Tetris Effect: Connected (Enhance)
  • Thumper (Drool LLC)
  • Vacation Simulator (Owlchemy)
  • What the Bat! (Triband)
  • Zenith: The Last City (Ramen VR, free upgrade)

There are also a handful of “launch window” games announced, which are said to arrive “through March”:

  • The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners: Ch. 2: Retribution (Skydance)
  • No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
  • Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition (Survios)
  • The Dark Pictures: Switchback (Supermassive)
  • Before Your Eyes (Skybound Interactive)

Curiously missing from the list is the promised Beat Saber, which again ranked as the top-downloaded game on PSVR this past year. PlayStation says in its big blogpost info dump that more games will be confirm their launch window availability up until February 22nd, so we’ll be updating this piece to reflect all of the launch content coming to PSVR 2.

PSVR 2 Launch Day Games Revealed, 30+ Titles Including ‘Horizon’, ‘Resident Evil Village’ & ‘Gran Turismo 7’ Read More »

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PSVR’s Top Downloads in 2022 Betray Stagnation, PSVR 2 Looks to Change That

It’s more than a bit disheartening to see essentially the same top PSVR game downloads repeated throughout the years, although here’s to hoping this may be the last time we utter the names Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and SUPERHOT VR in sequential order as the upcoming platform’s best-performing titles.

The original PSVR has earned a well-deserved rest after more than six years of faithful service, no doubt. But on February 22nd, the company’s next-gen headset PSVR 2 is coming to town, which has the potential to shake things up a fair bit as the PlayStation begins charting titles created for its latest and greatest VR headset.

I’m hoping to consider this a bid farewell to the same ol’ top download chart, which seems to have stayed fairly stagnant for the past couple of years. Before we go further though, here’s the top PSVR downloads in 2022:

PSVR Top Downloads – 2022

US/Canada EU
1 Beat Saber Beat Saber
2 Job Simulator Job Simulator
3 SUPERHOT VR SUPERHOT VR
4 Creed: Rise to Glory Creed: Rise to Glory
5 Swordsman VR Sniper Elite VR
6 Astro Bot Rescue Mission Swordsman VR
7 Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
8 GORN Batman: Arkham VR
9 Batman: Arkham VR Arizona Sunshine
10 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Notice anything familiar? With the exception of Sniper Elite VR, which actually released in 2021 (but critically didn’t rank among the top downloads that year), it’s nearly identical to the chart from 2021. Pretty much par for the course for the platform’s aging game library, it seems.

PSVR 2: Shifting to a More Experienced VR Gamer?

Notably, PSVR 2 doesn’t feature backwards compatibility, although many games on the chart above are either re-releasing on PSVR 2 or getting a free upgrade, so we’ll very likely see many of these titles persist in the charts for months to come.

Sony has also publicly announced a handful of PSVR 2 titles which may be strong contenders for the top spots in the coming months and years. Popular games and franchises include Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Demeo, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, Firewall UltraAmong Us VR, 2MD: VR Football Unleashed All-Star, and Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue just to name a few. We’re still waiting on an official list of launch day titles and a more concise understanding of what’s getting an upgrade, and what isn’t.

Granted, I said I’m hoping to consider this a bid farewell to the seemingly iron clad chart rankings, although there’s a good reason those top games performed so well on PSVR. The top three—Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and SUPERHOT VR—undoubtedly make for excellent first-time VR experiences for basically anyone. After all, PSVR was likely the first VR headset for many who already own a PS4, so a continued focus on casual VR content makes sense.

NoteBeat Saber has been confirmed for a PSVR 2 rerelease (possibly free upgrade, but Meta hasn’t said yet), while Job Simulator and SUPERHOT VR are still unconfirmed for PSVR 2.

It remains to be seen whether the ‘newcomers at the top’ paradigm plays out the same way with PSVR 2 though in the months and years to come. Many of the top games on PS5 appeal to a more mature gaming audience (in gaming ability, not age), which is reflected in the top 2022 downloads there: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, God of War Ragnarök, and ELDEN RING

Photo by Road to VR

A better analogue though for PSVR 2 may be Quest 2’s performance over the years, owing to its spot as essentially the largest VR platform for consumers. Many of the top titles on the monthly Quest charts present a better mix of casual drop-in titles and more lengthy adventures such as BONELAB, Moss: Book II, and The Room VR: A Dark Matter, which may mean the PSVR 2 chart may look very different indeed.

Still, for PSVR 2 to follow the same path, there needs to be an extensive mix of premium quality content for newcomers in addition to the top games repeated from the days of yore. Players will be looking for fresh casual content like Astro Bot Rescue Mission, PlayStation VR Worlds, and Creed: Rise to Glory—the sort of games you can plop family and friends into that they immediately understand and can play—in addition to needing a steady stream of ‘AAA’ level titles like Resident Evil Village and Horizon Call of the Mountain, two of the largest standouts PSVR 2 users will probably look to for the sort of graphical quality they’re used to on flatscreen.

In the end, it’s hard to say how things will shake out. Sony appears to be playing its PSVR 2 hype strategy more or less in the same way it did with PS5, i.e. not many exclusives and a softer launch than expected. That could have to do with the fact that the all-in price for a PS5 and PSVR 2 headset is around $1,100, which not only limits the number of prospective game sales by a fair bit, but could mean less first-party investment overall if the install base isn’t large enough. Whatever the case, we’re hoping to hear more about games and get a better understanding of launch day titles over the coming month leading up to its February 22nd launch.


What’s your opinion? Will future PSVR 2 charts look the same, be dominated by new casual content, or will we see more mature titles break in? Let us know in the comments below!

PSVR’s Top Downloads in 2022 Betray Stagnation, PSVR 2 Looks to Change That Read More »

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Every Game Getting a Free PSVR 2 Upgrade

The lack of backwards compatibility between PSVR 2 and the original PSVR is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, we’re getting a ton of games for Sony’s next-gen VR headset that have been specifically built or overhauled to make use of the new hardware, but it also means a lot of games in your PSVR library will forever be stuck in the past.

Thankfully, there are a handful of developers who have pledged free PSVR 2 support for their games, many of which you can already grab on the store before the headset launches on February 22nd, 2023.

Note: There are a ton of games coming to PSVR 2 you might recognize, although not all studios have mentioned free PSVR 2 support for those games. We’ll be updating this list, so check back for more. Also, in addition to previously released titles getting new PSVR 2 support, we’ve also included brand new titles launching with both PSVR and PSVR 2 support. You’ll find those at the bottom, labeled [NEW].

Resident Evil Village

A free PSVR 2 upgrade is expected at the headset’s launch in February, which includes the entirety of its main story in VR. We went hands-on with Village back in September, and it proved to not only one of the best-looking games on PS5 to date, but probably one of the best in VR, offering up a level of visual detail that approaches Half-Life: Alyx territory.

Store Link

After the Fall

Team zombie shooter After the Fall is cross-compatible with PC and Quest, but it’s soon to be available on PSVR 2 too, as Vertigo Games is tossing out support for Sony’s latest and greatest at some point in early 2023. It’s basically Left 4 Dead in VR, and it’s most definitely worth getting a team together since this horde shooter is cross-compatible with PSVR, Quest, and PC VR headsets.

Store Link

No Man’s Sky

This space simulator used to be considered gaming’s biggest flop, but thanks to Hello Games’ continuous updates it’s become the industry’s biggest redemption story. With the promise of free PSVR 2 support, you’ll be able to strap into No Man’s Sky on launch day with your shiny new headset.

Store Link

Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip is a rhythm-shooter from Cloudhead Games, which has thrown out tons of updates and free DLC to keep you blasting away like John Wick to some pretty infectious beats. On PSVR 2, the game is said to offer fine-tuned haptics, adaptive triggers, higher resolution, 3D audio, and SSD optimization to bolster how the game loads and runs.

Store Link

Zenith: The Last City

Zenith: The Last City is one of VR’s most successful MMOs to date, offering up hundreds of hours of quests, jobs, classes, you name it. Developers Ramen VR say it’s getting a free PSVR 2 upgrade. If you already own the PS4 version, the PSVR 2-supported PS5 version is already free to download, so nab it early so you can play with all of your friends on Quest, PC VR headsets, and the original PSVR.

Store Link

The Light Brigade – [NEW]

This is a new title coming to both PSVR and PSVR 2, developed by Funktronic Labs, the studio behind Fujii and Cosmic Trip. The Light Brigade tosses you on a procedurally-generated journey to free the souls of the fallen trapped within, making for a tactical roguelike shooting experience you can play on launch-day.

Store Link

Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue – [NEW]

Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue is another new title getting both PSVR and PSVR 2 support, letting you delve into the same universe of the popular Hello Neighbor stealth horror series. Sneak into your creepy neighbor’s house to save your friend, and don’t get caught.

Store Link


Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below, as we’ll be updating this article all the way up to PSVR 2’s launch in February.

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