The PlayStation VR2 launched a little over a month ago, and while the headset was praised for its hardware upon release, it seems that success hasn’t been reflected on a commercial level. As per a report recently published by Bloomberg, it seems to have endured less-than-impressive sales upon release.
Reportedly, the PS VR2 managed to sell less than 300,000 units in its first weeks. To be precise, between its launch in late February and the end of March, it is estimated to have sold roughly 270,000 units, as per research and analysis firm IDC, which falls woefully short of the 2 million shipments Sony had originally projected for the hardware in that period.
As per IDC’s vice president of data and analytics Francisco Jeronimo, that’s down to “rising costs of living, rising interest rates and rising layoffs” around the world.
“I suspect a price cut on the PSVR2 will be needed to avoid a complete disaster of their new product,” he added. Given the PS VR2’s price point of $549.99, one would assume that would indeed be the case, if sales really are falling below expectations in such drastic fashion.
Shortly before the PS VR2’s launch, it was reported that owing to disappointing pre-order numbers, Sony had slashed its shipment numbers for the headset by half. Shortly afterward, Sony said that production for the device was not being reduced.
Earlier this month, Sony’s chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki said that the company was expecting the PS VR2 to outsell its predecessor, which sold around 5 million units.
