Yesterday we reported that analysts have scaled down their sales predictions for PSVR from 2.6 million units sold by the year end, to 750,000. Now it seems like VR in general isn't doing particularly well in terms of sales, if SuperData's report to Games Industry is anything to go by.
As well as the PSVR figures, the estimations for Google Daydream have also dramatically decreased from 450,000 at the year end to 261,000 units sold. Talking about PSVR, Stephanie Llamas of SuperData said: "PSVR had the best opportunity to benefit from the holidays but their supply inconsistencies and lack of marketing have put them behind their potential. They did not offer any first-party deals this weekend, restock bundles or market the device, pushing instead for the PS4 Pro. They have also pointed out that VR looks even better on a Pro than a standard or slim PS 4, so the message to most gamers is: Get the Pro now, then the PSVR later. As a result, we won't see them break one million shipments until well into the new year."
"Had Sony pushed the PSVR the way they've been pushing their other new hardware, the demand would have certainly fulfilled a supply of over two million. However, given its quiet release it's clear they're being cautious before fully investing in the tech. Without the 'killer app' and the slow, steady release of AAA content, they will release less than 1 million devices until they have content they feel confident will bring in the praise they want. They can afford to take it slow since they have no competition for now, so their supply and sales will rise steadily into 2017 as opposed to riding the seasonal wave."
Looking at Oculus, Llamas believed the user base may have been split. "The Rift's Touch controllers are an opportunity for Oculus to penetrate, but not many headsets have moved, especially with their round-about deal where purchasers earned $100 (US dollars) Oculus credit rather than just getting $100 off. Oculus's hardware release strategy has also slowed them down and split their user base, so developers are having to make some choices around whether they should develop for both Touch and non-Touch users. This means development has slowed and is becoming another barrier to growth."
As a result of poor sales and in comparison to other steady or successful performers in the market, VR is described as the "biggest loser" this holiday season. Do you think the performance can pick up? What needs to change?