PS VR2 Production Reportedly On Hold As Stock "Piles Up"
Sony is reportedly pausing production of its PS VR2 headsets due to a growing backlog of unsold units.
According to Bloomberg, sales have declined every quarter since its release in 2023, dropping from 595.5k units sold in Q1 to 325.2k in Q4. For comparison, the sale of Meta headsets increased from 792.5k in Q1 to 1.3 million in Q4 last year.
The reported figures of PS VR2's sales are as follows:
It announced last month that it has plans to implement PC compatibility sometime this year, which will bring the PS VR2 to an even wider audience, potentially helping move the unsold stock. For current owners, provided they also have a gaming PC, that means access to Half-Life: Alyx, Blade and Sorcerery, Beat Saber mods, Boneworks, and more.
Analysts suggest that the PS VR2 is struggling to sell its stock because of the steep price tag, as it retails at $549.99. For comparison, the base PS5 model costs $499.99. They also suggest that the lack of games makes it harder to stomach that price tag.
"The high price of VR hardware acts as the main hurdle for its expansion," Macquarie analyst Yijia Zhai told Bloomberg. "Currently, there are limited games that support VR devices, and that will also lead to lack of motivation for players to purchase VR hardware. This limited content also has a reason - the development cost for VR games is substantially higher than normal titles."
Our Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley got her hands on a PS VR2 last year and said that it's the "best VR headset I have ever used", but likewise called out the price point as a "dealbreaker".
"For VR enthusiasts looking to upgrade, or even first-time buyers with money to spare, it's easy to recommend PS VR2," Stacey wrote. "It has some issues, but they're far outweighed by its technical efficiency. For those on the fence though, you can find a PS% for cheaper than the PS VR2, and right now, I think that's difficult to justify."
The PSVR2 is the next edition of Sony's VR headset, designed specifically for use
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