PSVR2 Sales May Actually Be Stronger Than Has Been Suggested

Par for the course these days, the media paints a negative picture for Sony… and then they’re proven wrong later. The reverse seems to happen for the distinguished competition.

Even if the sales are not abysmal let's not forget that it would take a miracle and a half for the PSVR2 to become popular enough to be supported 18 months from now. And if modders can't make it work with PC all of the people who bought it would have a very expensive paperweight in their homes. IMO PSVR2 is just not a smart investment at all.

I have reliable a source that says that 270k figure was out by a reasonably significant percentage at the 4 week mark.

I haven’t purchased one yet, but that’s simply due to time constraints and other budgetary needs. I will get one, but it may be another 6 months.

And who knows…this could be a Microsoft psychops tactic to try to divert from their lack of games, Activism takeover, Bethesda exclusivity and Bethesda development issues (30 fps Redfall and Starfield? No thanks!).

I wouldn’t be surprised. Big money ad pushes in the UK and sudden support from US lawmakers on their budget…what’s a reporter or two?

@colonelkilgore Indeed, negativity gets the clicks.
When the original Bloomberg estimate was released I didn't think 270k was too bad, i reckon it amounts to roughly 1% of the PS5 user base. I'm sure there was a much larger PS4 user base when the original psvr unit was released which makes the 270k even more impressive imo.

I haven't purchased a Virtual Boy 2 yet and to be fair I probably won't.

It's far to expensive for something I only have a passing interest in.

If it was half the asking price I may have picked one up on a whim at some point.

I think psvr2 will be a big success but we will see I haven't got one yet but will get one probably June July time

@GrimReaper Even if the sales aren’t that bad? What makes you say that?

Tbh it seems like a lot of gamers are just annoyed with the existence of VR and all too eager to dance on its grave.

@GrimReaper There's no reason to believe that it won't receive at least as much support as PSVR from Sony, and reason to think third-parties will have an easier time bringing games to it and will do so more often. We should see more support than PSVR1 overall at the least.

I do agree with sales slowing down though. They must have gone through most people willing to buy one through direct. I really want one, but as this much time has passed as I wait for retail, some of my urge to have is gone. I'm still getting one immediately if goes on sale at GameStop, but I'm unsure still weather I'll get one from Direct before then by giving in. I do hope they see the direct idea as a failure though. Don't do that with the PS6.

News for Sony often bad and then revealed later. Bad news for Series L remaining just bad…

So...

Glasses users, I know it's still not the best situation wearing glasses under the headset.
However yesterday I found this and am seriously thinking about giving them a try.

Anyone had special lens inserts made for their PSVR2, and is it any better with them (I'm guessing so)?
https://vroptician.com/

@Futureshark ordered some from Hons VR - took only one week for the delivery to Germany.
Way better as with glasses under the headset.

I still feel like this was a weird early access release for PSVR2. It's hard to put any comparable weight behind their sales numbers when the system is not available on Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target etc. Most normies wouldn't even know it exists.

@GrimReaper a miracle for it to be supported a little over a year from now!?

Come on lol

It might not be the smashing success everyone thinks but this sounds straight out of the “PC gaming is dead, VR is dead, etc” bag of 5 years ago

@KaijuKaiser I’ve loved it so far. Though there’s not much on the horizon game wise that I’m itching for.

It could be an astounding success or a bleak failure, I don't think it makes much of a difference. Of course I want Sony to succeed, being that it's my core platform at the moment, but I just can't see VR as anything more than a gimmick. I still contend that it's best employed in serious and professional environments (medical training, flight simulators, sims to handle and fight anxiety, etc.) versus a small fraction of the gaming population.

@Futureshark Mine are already on their way from Germany. They cost about $110 US for all the "extras" (blue light protection, etc.) and shipping. Their communication was also excellent.

Ive been really happy with it. Still playing GT7 and Synth Riders daily.

@Futureshark I’ve been using inserts for a month and it is more comfortable, clearer, and helps protect the lenses on the headset. I went with HonsVR which seem to have some minor durability issues for some users, but they are very quick to replace anything reported as defective. Lots more info about peoples’ experiences with deferent inset manufacturers can be found on the PSVR Reddit.

I’m very happy with my PSVR2 and the selection of games currently available. The ease of setup, display, and tracking are miles better than what I experienced with PSVR1. And everyone I’ve had over to play it has really enjoyed it! I can see it building positive word of mouth and selling strong during the holidays, hopefully with the help of a regular retail release in the US and one or two more 1st party games (Astro-Bot please).

Thing thing is so dead. It’s the Vita.

I wish I could enjoy my PSVR2. Bought it through PS direct (the only method) and it arrived with the defective right controller. Sent it back next day and they're taking a long time to process the exchange. It's been annoying and ps support is no help. I didn't even get to the title screen in any of the three games I tried.

Talk about trying to shift the narrative for Sony with a puff piece. Jesus.

First reporting: be justifiably honest and critical in citing low sales and the narrative shifts that the PSVR2 is off to a terrible start. Also citing supporting factors such as reports that Sony cut production and sales forecasts for the hardware based on underwhelming pre-release interest. Even Sony had originally stated thought they were going to push 2 million of these bad boys in the release window. Not to mention the lack of future software and support roadmap, tone deaf retail pricing amidst economic factors, etc.

Second reporting: also suggests the exact same number of low sales but it was in a smaller time frame so it doesn't mean that the PSVR2 is off to a rough start and instead alongside ONLY looking at wired headset sales data it Compares as a fairly decent sales figure. Let's just forget about all that other stuff in the first report. we will just reframe how this whole thing looks and call it a contextual misunderstanding instead. Lmfao.... I see what ya did there. 👍

@ztpayne7 If one of those games happens to be GT7, apparently it still requires the regular PS5 controller. I tried repeatedly to get the DualSense to work with it until I did some research online. Of course Sony could have communicated this a lot better considering GT7 is one of the most prominent PSVR2-compatible games AND is first-party. Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is having similar issues.

@AtlanteanMan I don't own GT7 yet, but either way, they made me send in the entire VR unit even though it was just the controller that was defective. It's listed as a return and not a repair (which is supposed to be faster) but supposedly the warehouse that ships to me is super fast with purchases but ridiculously slow with exchanges. One guy on Twitter said it took 4 weeks for him to get his back. They say up to 10 business days just to process before sending out. My 10th business day is Tuesday so I guess we'll see.

@AtlanteanMan I guess I didn't specify, the issue I was having is that the right controller would work in menus but not in game, so I couldn't select anything (whether it was my play area) or in an nfl demo's case, agreeing to the EULA.

It's a known issue for random units, they said they could fix with a software patch but they have no idea how long it might take. Some people have had the issue since launch so I figured I'd just go ahead and get it exchanged.

The PSVR2 doesn't need to sell well. Don't know its an expensive hobbyist item but it's mere presence makes the PS5 look more futuristic and capable than the Xbox Series and for Sony, that's all that matters.

Building an ecosystem of potential add ons is classic Sony, from the Eyetoy to the PSP, Buzz to Singstar; it enriches their potential market and customer base.

@Futureshark yep, mine came 2 weeks ago and its highly recommended. Its a long wait for arrival, but well worth it.

I was ready to buy PSVR2 with vouchers I have for the retailer Currys. Since Sony are only selling direct, and I can’t buy one I’m now beginning to think to wait for the quest 3 instead later in the year.

By ye gods just show the public whether Astro Bot 2 exists. Their most critically acclaimed title on PSVR has had no mention at all. Almost as baffling as their treatment of Bloodborne

@Futureshark I have VR Optician lenses and they are great.
Just know that their process is slow and it took me a month to get them delivered in the States.

PSVR2 is taking off strong. I think it might very well be on it's way to being the number one VR setup as Meta Quest seems to be entering a state of decline.

The quality of the games is on par with, and even sometimes exceeding PCVR, because the VR market is small enough that game devs have to pander to outdated systems to broaden their sales, while PS5 is a streamlined setup and the PSVR2 games can be optimized for PS5 performance.

As someone who has had PSVR, Rift S, Quest 2 and now PSVR2, I think PSVR2 has had the strongest launch I have seen. While Quest 2 sold more units at start, the actual software wasn't new. PSVR2 has launched a solid library of games that weren't available on any other system, so PSVR2 owners are being adequately entertained and the system is being used more as a result. Horizon COTM, RE8 Village, GT7, The Last Worker, Switchback are all NEW games that have come out in the first 2 months of launch.

RE4 remake, Sierra Squad, Firewall Ultra are all coming out this year, as well as many others that are less exclusive.

Furthermore the PSVR2 versions of some vr games are pretty much the best. Pavlov, No Mans Sky, Walking Dead chapter 1 and 2 play smoother and feel better on PSVR2.

It costs more because it is a quality design. It isn't a crappy discount HMD with repurposed move controllers like the PSVR (1) was. You cannot get a HMD with head haptics, eye tracking, eye tracked foviated rendering, controller feedback, for anywhere near the price of a PSVR2. You can barely get that stuff for the price of a PSVR2 and PS5 combined, and even then you would still need a very capable PC to even use it which is going to cost you at least $1000 on top of the headset.

People complaining about the price of PSVR2, just don't understand what is and what it does.

It’s bloody awesome, try it with GT7 or RE8 and gaming will never see the same again

@R_Ryder its going to be in Curry's after a wide release in months, I think they were doing it this way to avoid the scalping pandemic that happened with PS5's release

That's fantastic news if so! Great hardware, great experience. Please be popular enough to sell replacement controllers because I know I'll wear mine out lol

@GrimReaper psvr1 received its own showcase instead of a PS5 showcase even even Microsoft revealed xsxs after vr1 was already basically end of life. Define "not supported"?

Yes, the PSVR2 is a pricey premium product, and I hope it’s supported by developers for many, many years. But a value for money purchase is purely subjective, and relative to one’s income and outgoings. I personally think the VR experience is amazing and totally worth the outlay. I haven’t bought a PSVR2 yet, but will do later this year. I love horror games, and have my copy of RE: Village for my inevitable purchase, which will be just as much fun for me as RE7 was on PSVR1.
More quality horror games, please developers 🙏

@Jaz007 ps6 is probably where the direct idea is actually helpful with scalping but....I honestly agree. I bet they do it though. They're doing everything through it these days.

@theMEGAniggle I hope it comes soon. And it better be out before Quest 3 otherwise Sony will have a problem. I spoke to Sony Support last week and they just said they have no info.

It's too expensive for me so it's gonna fail. Or I just have an inexplicable hatred for VR, so it's gonna fail. I'm quite sure it's one of these anyway.

I think the PSVR2 game count is around 67 games with 3 triple-a titles with more to come which is probably the biggest amount of launch titles for a new product in video game history, not a bad showing for a product that has been on the market for less than two months, the Quest 2 has just a single Triple A game RE4 and that is after 3 years.

@R_Ryder Quest 3 out by October? I think PSVR 2 should aim to go to retailers by July - September time as Sony will not want to miss out on holiday sales

Black Friday and Christmas should do over 500k in sales. Be stupid not to have it with retailers for then.

Like I and many have said, this 300k sales in first month wasn't bad. Sony just need to make sure they don't keep us in the dark, as people such as yourself are confused as to what the best course of action is as Sony haven't said anything about anything.

If I were you, I'd wait for PSVR 2 regardless, it really is next level

Yeah, I wish the gaming world would stop trying to kill off VR through self fulfilling prophecy. Even though this site has done a great job reviewing the games, they’ve still fallen prey to reporting on every fear mongering rumor out there, without providing context. I see the context listed here with the sales of PSVR1 finally, but where was it a couple of weeks back?

To be honest, I’m kind of sick of everyone else without the headset even commenting on it.

@Total_Weirdo you can hardly call re4 on the quest aaa,it's a vr version of a 20year old game made by a small studio

@ztpayne7 really sorry to hear that. Hope it's sorted out soon.

Price and lack of different retailers is a big factor for me at the moment. Can only buy direct from PS

@theMEGAniggle Thanks for your thoughts on this. I appreciate it. I do hope it’s sooner rather than later to build up that strong support base before Quest 3. All the best

The only certainty here is that it hasn't sold as well as Sony were hoping for at launch.

I do hope it is ultimately a success long term but Sony need to be showing us some kind of road map as its not a worthwhile investment for me at the moment

@GrimReaper The PSVR1 had strong support for over 5 years. Even in it's final years it had strong exclusives like Resident Evil 7. And it was a hodge-podge experiment of a headset that just barely made the grade to be "good enough" for immersive VR. The PSVR2 has a much brighter future.

@Futureshark
I have these. It is so much better. Worst thing is forgetting you need glasses then realising again about 30 seconds after taking the headset off, lol.

In the interest of balance I’ll try to give some negatives, but I would definitely recommend them.

So, I get some grease or sweat on them, I think from my eyelashes. This wasn’t an issue with glasses of course. Easy to wipe though.

These ones in particular clip on and have a slit were your nose goes. It means a gap between them and the headset lenses, which I expect allows dust and stuff to collect on the actual VR lenses still. Hasn’t happened yet though.

I think they sit out further and, if I look for it, and move my right eye fully to the left or left eye to the right, I kind of can see something that partially restricts my view, like a faint black blur. Not an issue though. I found it out only when trying to break the eye tracking with them on, which I couldn’t do thankfully.

Overall, definitely recommend them.

@Mythologue Yeah, this whole "Internet" thing will never catch on either. Total fad.

@Dekker451 VR is more comparable to 3D TVs and motion controls.

@Hoodie718 Why are people such crybabies there are more people in the world then you.

@TrickyDicky99

I don’t really understand this. I remember you commented how you have 130 PSVR games on the Switchback review.

Yet the first iteration was a ghost town?

PSVR2 is fantastic. Almost every day I wake up & kayak in Costa Rica for an hour or two. No loading & unloading of said kayak.

In the afternoon, I get in my full cockpit set-up
& drive for hours in GT7. The '69 Camaro is an all time favorite.

Evening comes around & I'll be found killing mofos in Breachers on Quest 2. Because Quest 2 still kicks ass.

VR rules.

One thing that amazes me is how well developers are supporting it. Almost every game has been receiving frequent patches that have improved visuals or performance.

The prices are understandably going to limit the market but I have not had so much fun with games in many years, including as a psvr1 owner. That was fun but the limitations made it an occasional use novelty. Psvr2 made itself my main platform, and I didn't even expect it to when I bought it.

@RonnieL Ferrari makes some mighty fine go karts 😂

This does not take into account the massive sales to be had from used hardware.
People are already selling them pretty cheep on Facebook Marketplace. When this happens, sales numbers will seem low, but the actual VR game sales will go up. That is not including games like GT7 that are both VR and non VR. Who is to say which sales can of these games can be attributed to VR owners?
At this point, Sony will have to start monitoring actual VR player session logins to get realistic numbers.

If you are on the fence whether or not to buy PSVR2, here is a positive recommendation to do so.

1: I think the games for it are absolutely fantastic! RE8, GT7 and TWD: S&S are AAA quality.

2: I did not have any feelings of nausea with psvr2 and if you do, I'll bet you quickly build up a tolerance for it and having the screen so close to the eyes takes some getting used to (I also have glasses).

3: There is an exciting road map ahead of us with Humanity, Firewall, Behemoth, Foundation and so on, as well as an interesting heritage of already-existing titles that might be ported to PSVR2.

4: Imagine lying in a perfectly comfortable position and watching a projected movie. This is easily done with PSVR2. I took The Quarry and watched it as a movie and Jesus Christ is it hilarious when you mix up the traits of different characters and watch the chaos unfold

The negitivity that news sites like to use to encourage clicks and engagement is nearly always a false a narritive. All of these sites exist to make money, not to provide balanced news, so its absolutely no suprise to me at all that a false narritive, proudly promoted via several articles here, is likely to be way off the mark.
Given the non availability in retail shops of the unit and the limited advertising Sony have done themselves, the figures being discussed seem quite reasonable for what will always be a niche product, and I believe they have already succeeded in showing how such a product augments your main offering and provides even more options for entertainment.
Shame I get so sick, I want to be all over VR 😊

@R_Ryder no problem my friend, you'll enjoy whatever you choose, all the best

@Futureshark yeah I have vroptician inserts they are a total game changer, I’d never get another headset without them in future, so much more comfortable, and my entire fov is in focus rather than the part my glasses cover, in some ways my vision in vr is now better than it is in RL, honestly couldn’t recommend them enough!

It’s amazing. I played gt7 yesterday and clicked between normal and then vr. Yes it is more colourful and vivid in normal but vr is just so much more immense. Until you play it you won’t understand. I then jumped into the walking dead, again a real sense of atmosphere and the controllers are brilliant. I even got creed and though no where near as good as the others by any margin, it’s still a good experience and a workout too. Good for very short blasts for someone who adores boxing. More will come out in time like resident evil 4 and I haven’t even bought Pavlov as I’m waiting for fireteam or whatever it’s called. It’s really impressive and even if they do reduce it, knowing Sony, they will offer early adopters something. They have nailed the ps5 this generation. It’s all just brilliant

We can’t say whether it’s gonna do well or bad until it’s been fully released. Not everyone can afford to pay for it right off or like me has vouchers they want to use to buy it - so unless Sony want to seriously hamper sales by keeping it for sale ONLY on PS Direct with little marketing - we’ll get a better analysis when it does get fully released, hopefully sooner than later

Quasi-unrelated: what is with the explosion/inferno backdrop for articles lately? Haha.

You mean the made-up gossip report based on nothing from a shady source was maybe not true after all?? GASP.

Deliver Liam the good news, and also tell him to stop being rattled by one report a month into a hardware's release I guess we're all impressionable in some ways.

You had these sales figures to hand prior to writing the PSVR2 is doomed article. Shame you didn’t just do some research and realise those figures are actually good a week ago.

@TrickyDicky99 PSVR2 was announced in 2020 with an intended release of 2021. Of course PSVR1 was a ghost town after the next platform was announced. Only PS4 itself goes years after the successor platform. But that's a far less enthusiast market.

@bkeswick My article was mostly based on the complete lack of a game roadmap the headset has, not sales

@naruball thanks! I'm hoping they process it sometime early this week. I just hope the next unit I get works properly

@LiamCroft I appreciate your reply Liam. It was the tone of your article which made me think that; I think being doom-and-gloom a month into a hardware lifespan is a record at Push Square? I can't think of another example that came sooner.

@ztpayne7 fingers crossed!

@naruball I got my replacement in on Tuesday and so far everything works great! Enjoying my initial impressions with it

@ztpayne7 so wonderful to hear! Really happy for you