Sony has sold close to a million PlayStation VR headsets

[Shawn Knight]

Virtual reality may very well be a technological game-changer but it’ll likely be some time before we know for sure. That’s because, as is often the case with cutting-edge technology, the high cost of admission at the upper-end is artificially limiting adoption.

Current virtual reality offerings can be filed into three categories: entry-level devices like Samsung’s Gear VR headset, mid-range products such as Sony’s PlayStation VR and upper-echelon offerings like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Sony’s solution is arguably the most compelling of the bunch. While not cheap at $399, it’s far more affordable than the Rift or Vive and doesn’t require a high-end PC to drive the experience (although you do need a PlayStation 4 console).

Something else the PlayStation VR system has going for it is a proper gaming experience in Resident Evil 7. This, combined with the reasonable cost of entry, has led to sales that are well ahead of Sony’s expectations at this point.

In a recent chat with The New York Times, Andrew House, global chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, revealed that his company has sold 915,000 PlayStation VR units as of February 19.

Sony’s internal goal was to sell a million units by mid-April. It likely would have already happened had House and others within Sony not been as cautious with production as they were. As a result, PlayStation VR is in short supply and not all that easy to find in stores.

Nevertheless, it’s a good problem to have and as the Times notes, the early success likely establishes Sony as the leader in the premium side of the VR market. Although Oculus and HTC haven’t revealed sales figures, research firm SuperData Research estimates that 243,000 Oculus Rift headsets and 420,000 HTC Vive headsets were sold by the end of last year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68307-sony-has-sold-close-million-playstation-vr-headsets.html

 

[kapital98]

Good news for VR. I own a Vive and love it (though it comes with many disclaimers). I find the entry level VR systems to be gimmicky and not something worth using on a consistent basis. PSVR is in many ways the Rift's poorer cousin. It gives you the basic experience and is just good enough to excite people about VR.

There is plenty of room for all of these solutions. PSVR, Vive, and the Rift can all co-exist. What is good for one is good for another. I prefer the Vive because of the room-scale experience and the Vive stretching the possibilities of existing technology. With that said, using the Vive in a seated position is difficult due to the bay stations and I can see why many (most?) prefer a seated solution.

 

[Evernessince]

"SuperData Research estimates that 243,000 Oculus Rift headsets and 420,000 HTC Vive headsets were sold by the end of last year."

That's a very very misleading statement. Comparing sales to date of the PSVR and only sales to the end of 2016 for the Vive / Oculus.

"While not cheap at $399"

It's not $400 either. You need to buy the camera and controllers as well, which bring the price right in line with the Oculus.

I can definitely see them excluding the returns. One game does not a $600 purchase make.

If you figure the PS4's userbase into consideration, they don't really have room to grow sales unless they steal from the Xbox One. You've got to remember that many people buy console because they want to save money and not everyone has over $800 just for hardware.

 

[Kenrick]

"SuperData Research estimates that 243,000 Oculus Rift headsets and 420,000 HTC Vive headsets were sold by the end of last year."

That's a very very misleading statement. Comparing sales to date of the PSVR and only sales to the end of 2016 for the Vive / Oculus.

"While not cheap at $399"

It's not $400 either. You need to buy the camera and controllers as well, which bring the price right in line with the Oculus.

I can definitely see them excluding the returns. One game does not a $600 purchase make.

If you figure the PS4's userbase into consideration, they don't really have room to grow sales unless they steal from the Xbox One. You've got to remember that many people buy console because they want to save money and not everyone has over $800 just for hardware.

Misleading or not in your assessment, there is no fault at this article. We all agree that PS VR, even if you compare total sales as of TODAY is 2 or 3 times the competition. Why not give us the total numbers or a source might help.

I thought there is no return only replacement for opened VR's?

 

[imronburgundy]

I won one of these from Taco Bell. Promptly sold it to buy a GTX 1070 for my first PC build. Best decision.

 

[Uncle Al]

Not having one, nor any plans to buy one soon, I am wondering about the compatibility or lack there of, of any of these systems? Ideally they would all be following a particular standard, but that usually dosen't come until later when the 3rd party folks step in. It will also be interesting to see the types and costs of games that make use of the technology ... I doubt it will be in line with todays games ........

 

[3volv3d]

Having used the PS VR headset, I can say there are games that don't suck, but sure still gimmicky.
The fact it isn't wireless, like the Vive is apparently going to be, is a let down, as the amount of wires, and mess it creates, is another down side that just can't be forgiven.
But then there is that game on steam, where, you have machine guns, but no hands.
Do you remember in FPS games where you used to look down and were like, holy sheet I gots no legs... wheres mah legs, who stole mah freakin legs. Then legs, legs and feet, shoes, it made it so much better.
And now we go one step forward and 20 years backwards, they take our hands.
Just no...