In October, prior to the launch of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR headset, market intelligence company SuperData Research forecast the device would sell 2.6 million units worldwide by the end of the year. Now the company has slashed those numbers by a significant amount.
Talking to GamesIndustry.biz, the company has said virtual reality (VR) sales have seen: “notably fewer units sold than expected due to a relatively fragmented title line-up and modest marketing effort.”
SuperData’s new forecast for 2016 now puts PlayStation VR units sales at under 750K, with Google’s Daydream View headset selling 261k (previously earmarked at 450k). While estimates for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Gear VR have all stayed the same at 450k, 355k and 2.3 million, respectively.
Director of research and insights at SuperData, Stephanie Llamas, 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 PS4, so the message to most gamers is: Get the Pro now, then the PSVR later. As a result, we won’t see them break 1M shipments until well into the new year.”
She continued, saying: “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 2 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.”
It’s worth remembering that these are still only forecasts and not concrete numbers. None of the main head-mounted display (HMD) manufacturers have yet released official sales figures for their devices.
As and when sales figures are released, VRFocus will bring you the latest details.