PlayStation VR 2 is set to get close to two million units worth of stock as Sony looks to address issues left by the global pandemic, it's been claimed.
As reported by Bloomberg, production of Sony's second virtual reality headset started in September with the final figure set to be adjusted depending on early sales once the hardware launches. The company will be looking to better the one million sales mark that the original PSVR unit earned within its first eight months on the market. Overall, PSVR has accumulated five million sales as of 2020.
The initial two million unit goal is highly ambitious, especially as many countries are currently dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. A PlayStation 5 is now priced at $499.99 / £479.99 / AU$799.95 and is a necessity for the PSVR 2, which has a good chance of being higher than the original's $399 / £349 / AU$549.95 starting price. That's close to a grand on average for what is essentially a luxury product. Can two million people afford that?
IDC vice president of data and analytics Francisco Jeronimo commented on the price issue that may affect Sony's target for PSVR2, saying: "The rising cost of living is making many consumers wary of spending on non-essential items. If the economic crisis deepens, Sony may have to cut production".
Certainly, it seems Sony wants to not suffer from the same problem it encountered with the PS5 and the ever-prevailing issue for consumers to get their hands on the console (something many people in the US are still encountering almost two years on). As of June 2020, the PS5 has shifted 20 million sales so this would mean Sony is aiming for one in 10 to purchase a PSVR 2 headset. That seems a bit high to me personally, yet we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Earlier this year, a ton of new PSVR 2 features were revealed for the first time, such as a new See-Through View that enables players to see what they're doing without the need of removing the headset. In addition to this, Sony finally provided PSVR 2 with a release window – and it's arriving at the right time.
To find out more, head to T3's PSVR 2 hub for the latest news, games, rumours and everything else.
