Sony freezes PS VR2 production due to low demand – Playstation

A year after the launch of the device, Sony halted production to deal with the backlog of unsold units, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Bloomberg.

Reports indicate that Sony produced more than 2 million PS VR2 devices, but IDC analysts estimate that only about 1.7 million were sold in 2023. Worryingly for Sony, sales have slowed significantly throughout the year, with Q4 being the The weakest sales period, although a typical increase is seen in the holiday season. IDC data shows that only 325,200 units were sold during those three months.

One factor that may have slowed PS VR2 sales is the lack of compelling games, or at least the perception of them. Sony has only released four VR experiences for the device while not announcing any additional first-party titles. In addition, the Japanese company recently closed its London studio, one of the few in-house studios focused on developing VR games. The lack of backward compatibility with the original PS VR may have also hurt the appeal of the current model.

In reviews that appeared shortly after the PS VR2 hit the market, there were generally positive comments about the overall quality of the system but also concerns about the high price and uncertain long-term support. Another limitation is that the device is only compatible with the PS5, although this may change soon.

Sony recently announced that it is testing official PC support for the PS VR2, with plans to make it available to everyone later in the year. The move will likely expand the system's customer base to include those interested in the hardware but unwilling to invest in a PS5, which could help Sony shed some of its excess inventory. Another strategy that could boost sales is to lower the price, as the current price of $550, which is more than the cost of a PS5, seems ridiculous.