VR launched last year with all the fanfare and impact of a damp squib on the market. After hearing for so long about how VR would be the future of the medium, and how 2016 would be the year of VR, it seemed like no one cared about the actual VR products that launched last year. We don’t hear much about how much the VR platforms actually sold, but given the general disinterest, it can’t have been much.
According to Tim Sweeney of Epic Games, ‘not much’ may be overselling it, too. Speaking to Glixel, Sweeney revealed that Oculus Rift and HTC Vive put together have sold a bit more than half a million units worldwide since launch.
“[Sales are] pretty much what we expected – a little more than half a million PC units; I don’t know the PSVR numbers; several million smartphone VR units. That’s a good number to start with,” Sweeney said.
“The very first year of the personal computer revolution, when the Apple II shipped, there were 23,000 computers sold. I think VR is going to build up similarly slowly, starting with this early adopter, hardcore gamer base. It’s going to be nurtured there for years before it goes really mainstream.”
Speaking about whether the Oculus Rift or Vive was performing better, Sweeney said it was the Vive, which he attributed to the platform’s open nature. “… ultimately, the open platforms will win. They’re going to have a much better selection of software. HTC Vive is a completely open platform. And other headsets are coming that will be completely open. HTC Vive is outselling Oculus 2-to-1 worldwide. I think that trend will continue.”
Half a million in sales is nothing – PS4 sells that much worldwide in a month – but I suppose, as Sweeney points out, perspective is important for these things. Hopefully, sales of VR pick up soon.