PlayStation Executive Frames VR As A “Challenging Category” In The Industry

When it comes to the performance of the PlayStation 5, it is no question that the system is on track to being one of the most-successful systems of this age. In a recent report, it was revealed that the 2020-released console has now overtaken 50 million sold units. And the momentum does not appear to be stopping anytime soon. However, the question still remains if other PlayStation peripherals will perform the same.

While accessories like the PlayStation Portal is still in its infancy only releasing just over a month ago, the PlayStation VR 2 is close to reaching its first birthday later this winter. According to one report from XR Fun recently, US Amazon tracked sales reveal that the February-launched VR headset is falling behind the Meta Quest competitors. In fact, it is roughly a 10:1 ration difference which is the biggest surprise.

When speaking to The Financial Times, Sony Interactive Entertainment head of global business Eric Lempel elaborated that the market for virtual reality is certainly troubling to say the least. “It’s a bit of a challenging category right now,” he expressed. He continued by stating that the PlayStation VR 2 sales are “going well”, however, he did also inject that “there was a higher expectation generally for what VR would do to gaming.”

Partly, this is due to the core focus on PlayStation 5 sales continuing to climb. While resources are focused on pushing more hardware and projects, PlayStation VR 2 doesn’t receive the same treatment. In a previous interview with Mixed News, Lempel did share that the PlayStation VR 2 headset was not part of the “core proposition” spotlight that the PlayStation 5 was in.

Additionally, this could also be for the pricing of the system with the asking price being close to $1,000 after purchasing a PlayStation 5 and the respected VR device too. Not to mention the lack of backward compatibility for the PlayStation 4 VR titles too. You can read the full report by heading here.

What is your impression from Lempel’s comment?

Source: The Financial Times