Sony’s PSVR 2 is not a flop — here’s the proof

News
By Roland Moore-Colyer
published

PSA: the PSVR 2 is a bigger success than we thought

The PlayStation VR 2 on our reviewer, Roland Moore-Colyer
(Image credit: Future)

Reports have been floating around citing how the PSVR 2 was off to a slow start, seemingly hinting that Sony may have backed the wrong horse when it came to PS5 add-ons. But that may not be the case after all. 

According to a recent Bloomberg report, the PSVR 2 has sold between 270,000 and 300,000 units from its launch on February 22 to the end of March. And IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said such figures were not living up to Sony's expectations. However, as flagged by Insider Gaming, if these figures are accurate, then the PSVR 2 will have been one of the fastest-selling wired virtual reality headsets to date (at least, in its first month). 

So the PSVR 2 might not be the VR misstep some have it pegged for. Sure, it’s expensive and doesn’t offer the wire-free experience of the Meta Quest 2. But as we say in our PSVR 2 review, the advanced hardware and some stand-out games make this one of the best VR headsets we've tested. 

And having shipped up to 300,000 units so far is nothing to be sniffed at, especially as Sony is pushing a $549 / £529 / AU$879 headset amidst a recession. 

PSVR 2 has lots of promise

The PlayStation VR 2 on our reviewer, Roland Moore-Colyer

(Image credit: Future)

While sales of the PSVR 2 could indeed slow down and force Sony to consider a price cut, the number of headsets shipped so far is still a reasonably healthy indication that there is somewhat of an appetite for console-based VR. 

That could be promising for people who made the plunge and got a PSVR 2 already, as it would likely mean Sony will ensure there are plenty of VR-centric PS5 games in the works. After all, the company did say it has 100 plus PSVR 2 games in development. 

Beyond Horizon Call of the Mountain, the PSVR 2 hasn’t really got a suite of flagship games for it. But the likes of Gran Turismo 7 are great in virtual reality. And Sony has some very strong developers like Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio as its first-party developers, so there’s scope for The Last of Us or God of War-based PSVR 2 games. 

Don't get us wrong, we don’t expect the PSVR 2 to overtake the Quest 2 in overall popularity. But we feel it still has plenty of potential and could be the tip of the spear in really thrusting VR into the gaming mainstream. 

More from Tom's Guide

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face. 

See more Gaming News
5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • acidangel111
    Don't lie. Psvr2 IS A COMPLETE FLOP.
    Reply
  • Javier6020
    admin said:
    Sony’s PSVR 2 could be one of the fastest-selling VR headsets ever, and that's a promising sign.

    Sony’s PSVR 2 is not a flop — here’s the proof : Read more
    If you have to point out that it shows a lot of promise two months after being released, then you're confirming it's a flop.

    The lack of original games, ports of oldish games that can be found on Steam at a fraction of the price (if you also own a VERY price-accesibly Quest 2) and an outlandish price.

    You are paying for a supercar that can only take you to a convenience store three blocks away.

    Sony should offer upgrade options for all existing PSVR1 games you may already own. Sony claiming it can't be done is BS.

    I got mine since day onr and ot's been gathering dust for weeks waiting for "promising" games.
    Reply
  • KlatuBerataNicto
    admin said:
    Sony’s PSVR 2 could be one of the fastest-selling VR headsets ever, and that's a promising sign.

    Sony’s PSVR 2 is not a flop — here’s the proof : Read more
    Sony had a rather optimistic goal of making about 2 million units available for the PSVR2's launch window. They've only sold around 250,000 units thus far. By comparison in the first five months the original PSVR sold 915,000 units! So yes, PSVR2 is undeniably a flop. Sony very clearly overestimated this product launch, which was predicted by some early on given the lack of backward compatibility, price of the unit (more than the PS5 console) and struggling economy. All that said, the primary alternative to PSVR2 the Quest 2, has sold over 20 million units, whereas the original psvr sold 5 million over its lifetime. PSVR2 however...isnt even close. To be incredibly concise, PSVR2 thus far has not met sales expectations nor launch projections, therefore in every traditional sense it is indeed..."a flop". That could change with a price drop, more marquee games, etc, but for now its certainly not looking good.
    Reply
  • fastede
    acidangel111 said:
    Don't lie. Psvr2 IS A COMPLETE FLOP.
    It’s not a flop, at the current rate it will outsell psvr1. And before quest2 it was the best selling hmd. Quest 2 only sold so many because they subsidized it heavily and it came out when everyone was locked into their houses. How well would quest 2 sell today at $500 and $400. I bet not as good as it sold during the lockdowns.
    Reply
  • fastede
    KlatuBerataNicto said:
    Sony had a rather optimistic goal of making about 2 million units available for the PSVR2's launch window. They've only sold around 250,000 units thus far. By comparison in the first five months the original PSVR sold 915,000 units! So yes, PSVR2 is undeniably a flop. Sony very clearly overestimated this product launch, which was predicted by some early on given the lack of backward compatibility, price of the unit (more than the PS5 console) and struggling economy. All that said, the primary alternative to PSVR2 the Quest 2, has sold over 20 million units, whereas the original psvr sold 5 million over its lifetime. PSVR2 however...isnt even close. To be incredibly concise, PSVR2 thus far has not met sales expectations nor launch projections, therefore in every traditional sense it is indeed..."a flop". That could change with a price drop, more marquee games, etc, but for now its certainly not looking good.
    Quest subsidized their hmd massively. Plus their timing was during the can’t go outside lockdowns. I’d sure like to know the quest pro numbers. By the metric your using that’s a flop too. They cut the price by a third 4 months later. Another thing Sony doesn’t even have them available in store in bunch of western countries including the USA. It was a soft launch, as they haven’t even really pushed it and had much for advertising. I’d take the psvr2 any day over the quest2 or quest pro.
    Reply