Sales of the PlayStation VR may have fallen off a cliff in Japan, but it looks like the headset is still doing well in the UK- relative to the other headsets on the market, at any rate. MCV UK are reporting that sales of the PlayStation VR are set to overtake the combined sales of the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, according to Gfk tracking.
“VR devices Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, both of which are focused towards gamers, suffer when compared to PlayStation VR,” GfK director Paul Simpson said. “The VR units of the former are more expensive (£550-plus vs c. £350) and require a relatively high performance PC. PlayStation VR also benefits from a large installed base of PS4 owners – more than 3.5m in the UK.
“Early UK sales of PlayStation VR indicate it is already approaching the combined installed base of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Initial PlayStation VR game sales are also positive with eight or nine boxed releases featuring in the Official UK Top 40 games chart (week ending Saturday 15th October 2016).”
“Early adopters weren’t certain what to expect from a VR gaming experience,” he continued. “The Sony PlayStation branding eradicated many concerns and led to high expectations. Our survey shows that initial reactions from owners of PlayStation VR are positive. Some told us that the experience surpasses expectations, and for many it is a talking point with their friends. Others believe the VR gaming experience to be a solitary one, but have been pleasantly surprised by social elements of VR gaming.”
Of course, unless we have specific numbers for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR, this statistic is largely meaningless- although it is still heartening to know that there is some interest in VR, at the very least.