PlayStation VR has done better than even its internal team believed. Being that VR is the ‘new kid’ in gaming, insiders hoped to sell a million units. The recent news that PSVR had sold 915,000 headsets in its first four months came as a pleasant surprise.
PlayStation VR Meets the Internal Goal
Speaking with the New York Times, Sony’s Andrew House said production was kept somewhat modest and, as a result, some stores in Japan saw shortages.
It’s the classic case in any organization — the guys who are on the front end in sales are getting very hyped up,” Mr. House said. “You have to temper that with other voices inside the company saying let’s just be a little bit careful.
Sony has an advantage over both Oculus and HTC Vive by having a ready-made platform in the PlayStation 4. PSVR can be sold as an add on to the console along with exclusive platform-only titles being developed. In addition, House teased that an improved unit will be coming to gamers in April and that the company is hopeful it will generate more sales.
The current generation of VR has several burdens to overcome to become more widely accepted. Most notably, the price tag for VR headsets remains quite high making it a barrier to entry for many.
You can read the full interview with Mr. House by following the link above. You can also learn more about PSVR on its official site.
William Murphy
That’s less than I expected, but I also think that console VR is probably the genre’s best chance at mass market acceptance.