PlayStation VR2 Sales Data Negative for IDC: Is It Just the High Price’s Fault?

According to unofficial estimates published by IDC analysts, PlayStation VR2 Gods recorded Really subdued sales numbers, not to say bad, in the first weeks after launch. To be precise, we’re talking about just 270,000 units purchased compared to the two million units Sony produced to prepare for the first PS5 renderer in stores. For IDC analysts, the main problem is the cost of peripherals, so much so that they advise the Japanese company to make a cut as soon as possible, in order to bring more users closer and avoid commercial failure. However, we show that in addition to very expensiveThere are also other factors to consider that may negatively affect your sales.

First, however, it is necessary to make two assumptions. The first, very obvious, is that data 270,000 units sold The end of March is an estimate rather than official data, and as such should be kept in mind while waiting for what Sony itself will release in the coming weeks. However, we can go back to the statements made at the beginning of the month by CFO Hiroki Totoki, who stated that the company is “very happy to launch PlayStation VR2” and that in his opinion the device has a “good chance” of surpassing the 5 million units sold of the previous PS4 headsets.

In short, and here we come to the second hypothesis, were 270,000 units sold too much or too little? Obviously, if confirmed, that’s a negative number, we’d probably all agree on this, but given Totoki’s statements, Sony probably thinks PlayStation VR2’s results at launch are less disastrous than IDC is painting, which can’t tell exactly what the sales are. The goals that the Japanese company sets for itself, taking into account all the different factors, strengths and weaknesses of its product.

However, as noted by IDC, there’s no denying that the PlayStation VR2’s price may have a significant impact on sales, though it’s more than fair compared to the hardware features it mounts to, as highlighted in our review. In fact, we are talking about a renderer that costs € 549.99, where the PS5 only requires spending € 450-550, excluding renders. Consider, among other things, that it has been relatively easy to find the console in stores for only a few months: we think that very few tend to Spend $1,000 or more to buy both together or apart for a few months.

However, as we mentioned at the beginning, we don’t think it’s correct to point solely to price as a reason for the PlayStation VR2’s allegedly poor sales. Indeed, among the various factors, there are also PS5 docking stationwhich according to official data for the beginning of February is at a height of 32 million units (against nearly 50 million PS4 at the launch of the previous model), perhaps still too few to support such a peripheral.

In that regard, it’s really a shame that Sony once again decided to limit PlayStation VR2 to just the PlayStation ecosystem, since we’re sure the peripherals would have appealed to many as well. PC users Hence more developers, with benefits for all. Exclusives have always been one of the pillars of Sony’s strategy, but in this case a greater opening into the PC market, where the virtual reality sector is certainly deeper, wasn’t the best option in the writer’s opinion.

Among the various factors we can not fail to mention A marketing unattractive. For heaven’s sake, there was no shortage of commercials and advertisements, but more could have been done in terms of communication. Suffice it to say that Sony, in addition to CES, didn’t even set aside an exclusive case of PlayStation VR2 to comprehensively introduce its features and launch line to its fans. In fact, it allowed important announcements, like the release date and model price, to be delivered without too much festivity with cool posts from the PlayStation Blog, such as the reveal of yet another new Dualsense color. The PS5 relaunch campaign that took place at the beginning of the year, complete with trailers, a giant PS5 in Rome and other activities that would cost tens of millions of dollars, was sacred, but perhaps a similar effort was also appropriate for PlayStation VR2 is all the more reason given How interesting the VR viewer segment is to the niche audience, especially in the console segment.

Last but not least, we mention launch lineupcertainly plentiful and varied, but perhaps this notable title was missing, a basic killer app capable of making the general public jealous, with all due respect to Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Gran Turismo 7. Also looking to the future in there are a few Titles that seem capable of filling this role.

In short, lowering the price of the PlayStation VR2 as suggested by IDC could certainly increase units sold, but cut Sony’s profit margins and piss off those who took it at launch, but we suspect for now it’s the cure-all evil.

Let’s Talk It is a daily opinion column that offers a starting point for discussion on the day’s news, a small editorial written by a member of the editorial board but which does not necessarily represent the editorial line of Multiplayer.it.