After a month and a half since its launch, PlayStation has shared the first official figures of the virtual reality headsetand although the figures are better than those of the previous generation in the same period, the general impression is that the headset is not achieving its main goal: to make virtual reality something desired.
Better sales than PS VR
According to data shared by PlayStation, its virtual reality glasses have achieved nothing less than 600,000 units sold worldwide, a figure that exceeds by 8% the slightly more than 500,000 units that PS VR managed to sell in the same first 6 weeks of release. A good start, no doubt.
The graph shows how the original PS VR grew in sales with a fairly good upward trajectory, while PS VR2 has had a more aggressive launch, but it has held more from the middle of the third week. It is interesting to see how the second generation of a product that has not come to determine the market (Sony is still the only one of the big three to bet on virtual reality) has had a better response at its launch than the previous generation, especially if we have take into account the gigantic outlay that it requires (glasses + console).
The reading we can take from this is that the second generation has had a warmer reception, but little by little the demand has been diluted. Let’s remember that the company itself released the foot of the accelerator in terms of manufacturing units of the virtual reality viewer, since it saw that the first estimates were too positive, something that was also affected by the shortage of PS5 throughout the world. world. What does Sony have to do to improve the situation?
More coal to the machinery
Virtual reality has an impressive appeal, but at Sony they are convinced that they must continue to attract attention. For it the company will continue to invest in PlayStation Studios, and from there only good things can come out. Which we think is a great decision.
The problem is that virtual reality as such needs to continue to gain credibility, and current technology does not allow it to do so. Not at least with the experiences we live today. As we were able to prove to ourselves, the PS VR2 viewer has some incredible qualities to make the user enjoy, however, that enjoyment is conditioned by the discomfort that many users suffer when experiencing the virtual world.
Dizziness, lack of orientation, nausea… A 600-euro device cannot offer that kind of final sensations, since the product ends up becoming an experience again, and not a new medium in which to enjoy video games. That is the reason why PlayStation’s commitment to virtual reality still seems like a titanic effort to us. It may have convinced a part of the players, but to convince the masses, many things would still have to change.
Fountain: Sony Corporation (PDF)
Via: Game Industry
