The VR headset market is developing quite slowly, while there are a number of companies that are actively working in this direction. However, among virtual reality headsets for game consoles, Playstation has no competitors. Their Playstation VR device, released in 2016, received a new version in February 2023 – Playstation VR 2. After the release, there was high demand for the device, but now it has decreased significantly, as Bloomberg writes.
According to information from Bloomberg sources, Sony has currently suspended the production of Playstation VR 2 virtual reality headsets. According to them, this is due to an oversupply of goods in the warehouses of Sony itself and sellers. During the year, about 2 million devices were released, of which Playstation sold about 1.7 million. As a result, another 300 thousand Playstation VR 2 headsets are in warehouses and it may take a lot of time to sell them given the current rather low demand. Therefore, it was decided to suspend the production of headsets.
At the same time, IDC analysts believe that the market for virtual reality headsets will grow rapidly in the coming years. As you know, a few months ago Apple released its headset, which, analysts are sure, will increase the demand for similar devices from other manufacturers. IDC analysts have the following to say about the expected performance of this electronics segment: “We predict that the VR market will grow at an average annual rate of 31.5% from 2023 to 2028.”
Let's remember that in the fall of 2023, Matt Booty from Xbox said that Microsoft has no plans to release VR or AR headsets until the market is formed. According to him, the audience of players who are interested in such devices is now insignificant.