In brief: Sony has struck back against reports of the PSVR 2 not selling well by revealing that its latest headset outperformed the original during the first six weeks of sale. Some had claimed that a lack of interest could force a price cut on the headset, but that seems unlikely - at least in the near-term.
The PlayStation VR 2 launched on February 22 with relatively little fanfare. It was suspected that the $550 price, more than the disc version of the PlayStation 5 console, would hamper sales during a time when people are watching their spending.
However, Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Jim Ryan revealed the PSVR 2's official sales figures at an investor relations presentation this week. The headset sold 600,000 units during its first six weeks of launch. That's 8% higher than the successful PSVR managed to sell during the same launch period.
It's interesting to note, however, that Sony's graph shows the PSVR 2 sold around 450,000 units during its first week alone, meaning it moved 150,000 headsets across the following five weeks. The PSVR, meanwhile, saw its sales increase at a steady, faster rate than its successor after selling just over 300,000 units in the first week.
The official figures put to rest previous claims that the PSVR2 wasn't selling well. Back in March, research firm IDC estimated that Sony would likely sell about 270,000 units in its first month. There were also predictions that poor sales would force Sony to slash the price.
Sony initially hoped to sell 2 million PSVR 2 units during the headset's launch quarter, but it revised that figure down to one million. It's unclear whether it achieved that target. Sony also projects 1.5 million sales between April 2023 and Match 2024. The Japanese gaming giant believes that the latest version of its console's headset will be popular enough to outsell the original PSVR's 5 million lifetime sales.
Despite its high price, the PSVR 2 has won rave reviews for its impressive set of features, excellent controllers, and dual 2,000 x 2,040 OLED displays. There are a number of big upcoming games, too, including Resident Evil 4 and Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord.
https://www.techspot.com/news/98810-sony-psvr-2-outsold-predecessor-during-first-6.html
