PlayStation VR Expected To Sell Nearly 2 Million Units This Year

2016 is shaping up to be a great year for virtual reality. Oculus has confirmed at last when it’s Rift headset is going to come out, HTC will be out with a consumer version of the Vive in a couple of months, and Sony is also gearing up to launch the PlayStation VR later this year. A new research report suggests that Sony’s virtual reality headset may sell as many as two million units by the end of this year.

That might not sound much but those are respectable figures for a first-generation product that’s expected to be priced higher than most VR headsets available in the market today. By some estimates, the PlayStation VR will cost between $400 and $600.

The report from SuperData Research points out that various companies have invested more than $6.1 billion in VR research in the past three years alone while predicting that with its $400-$600 price point the headset may be able to sell about 1.9 million units.

It’s also mentioned that hardcore gamers may not be the first ones to flock to these handsets in droves, most likely it will be mobile gamers who will rapidly move to adopt this technology and they won’t be picking up headsets like the Rift or PlayStation VR for that purpose. They have cheaper options like Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.

The report predicts that platform holders are going to have to subsidize their hardware to capture significant market share since even most hardcore gamers might not be willing to spend upwards of $300 on a VR headset.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gaming
Tags: Playstation VR, Sony, Virtual Reality (VR)