Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
UPDATED (January 31, 2023 @ 10:20 a.m. PT): Sony has issued a statement refuting Bloomberg's reporting on production of the PlayStation VR2 being slashed. In a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony claimed that Bloomberg's original report was false and that the company has "not cut PlayStation VR2 production numbers."
"[We are] seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans for the upcoming launch, which includes more than 30 titles such as Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Resident Evil Village," PlayStation said in its statement.
Original Story: Sony will soon release the PlayStation VR2, the latest iteration of its virtual reality hardware. Designed for the PlayStation 5, PS VR2 has multiple first and third-party games ready to go at launch. Set to release this February, pre-orders for the new HMD have been live for a couple of months, but those numbers may have been less than what Sony was hoping for. Pre-orders for the PS VR2 have reportedly been so low that Sony has significantly cut back on production.
A Bloomberg report published earlier this week alleged that Sony is dissatisfied with the pre-order numbers for the PlayStation VR2 prior to its February release. The company has reportedly halved its internal sales forecast for the device and has consequently scaled back its production. Back in October 2022, Sony stated its intention to produce 2 million PS VR2 units by March 2023, but if this report is indeed true, we can expect that number to now be closer to one million.
Potentially the biggest factor for the less-than-expected PS VR2 pre-order sales is its price. The PS VR2 costs $549.99 USD, which is more expensive than both the disc and digital versions of the PS5, which are required in order to use the new VR HMD. Though the situation has gotten better, the PlayStation 5 continues to be a difficult-to-find, highly sought-after piece of consumer hardware.
According to the report, Sony told one of its supply partners to expect fewer display panel orders, signaling the company’s lack of confidence in its hardware sales. Sony (SONY) stock took a sharp dive after the news started to get out. Sony has yet to make any public comment regarding changes to its PS VR2 outlook.
Arguably the biggest title coming to PlayStation VR2 is Horizon: Call of the Mountain. With just over a month to go until that launch, stick with Shacknews for more PS VR2 news.