Playstation VR did not make the sales numbers that Sony expected. According to SuperData, a research firm often providing insight on game and hardware sales, has greatly revised their sales forecast on the PSVR.
The firm informed Games Industry that sales were lacking due to "relatively fragmented title line-up and modest marketing effort.", lowering their 2016 sales expectations from 2.6 million to a mere 750K. Meanwhile, the HTC Vive remains at a cool 355K. While much smaller, the Vive is as PC exclusive VR set, and among PC players has had louder cries of success. However, the price model of $800 is a huge deterrent.
The PSVR had, and arguably still has, a chance to grab the much larger console market, but Sony didn't offer any bundle deals with the PSVR over Black Friday, and according to Stephanie Llamas, director at SuperData, "[They were] pushing instead for the PS4 Pro. They have also pointed out that the 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."
Another huge factor that seems to be overlooked is the overall lack of games on for the PSVR. There are some lightweight games, and some games with optional VR experiences (which arguably translates to gimmicky in some minds) but no true focus on the device. Some of these existing games are relatively fun, but a VR headset, even if it's not at HTC Vive-level prices is still an investment, and mini-games just won't cut it.
Among the VR contenders, the HTC Vive is the powerhouse, while the PSVR sits pretty with first-party support on a popular console. Playstation could truly turn things around for 2017 if they invested heavily in games that showcase VR capabilities. Games that fans feel like they shouldn't miss.
