Sony Has Reportedly Halved its PlayStation VR2 Shipment Forecast For This Quarter

Sony has reportedly halved its PlayStation VR2 shipment forecast to 1 million units this quarter after disappointing pre-orders, Bloomberg is reporting today. The VR headset will launch on February 22 at a $549.99 price, which is $50 more than a PlayStation 5 console in the US.

“The Tokyo-based electronics giant has told a supply partner to expect reduced display panel orders, according to the people, who asked not to be named as the information is not public. The company now plans to ship around 1.5 million units between this April and March next year, they added, though that figure may be adjusted further in response to demand,” the Bloomberg report reads.

The lower-than-expected interest in Sony’s PlayStation VR2 comes right after the company announced that PlayStation 5 supply issues are finally going away this year. The company sold over 30 million PlayStation 5 units so far, and it’s likely counting on PlayStation VR2 to boost sales in the first quarter of 2023. If you’re really interested in VR games but can’t afford the high-end gaming PC to run them, the PlayStation 5 is pretty much your best alternative today.

Looking back at Sony’s original PlayStation VR headset for the PS4, the headset was priced at a more affordable $399, and Sony sold just over 5 million units of it as of December 31, 2019. When put in perspective with the 106 million PlayStation 4 consoles Sony had sold on that same date, that’s just 4,58% of PlayStation 4 owners who bought a PlayStation VR headset.

The PlayStation VR2 may be an even tougher sell at $549.99, unless the first wave of PS VR2 games succeeds in making the headset a must-have accessory for VR enthusiasts. Sony has already detailed the launch window lineup for its PlayStation VR2 headset, which will include the flagship exclusive game Horizon Call of the Mountain and a VR port of Gran Turismo 7.