According to estimates by research firm IDC, Sony Group Corp. is expected to sell fewer than 300,000 PlayStation VR2 headsets in the first few weeks of its launch, which is considered a slow start for the company’s efforts to become a leader in the development of the metaverse. From February 22nd to the end of March, Sony is projected to sell around 270,000 units of the PSVR 2.
The PSVR 2 headset is a crucial component of Sony’s strategy to create a metaverse, where users can do more than just play video games. The metaverse is a 3D virtual environment that has inspired tech industry giants such as Mark Zuckerberg to invest heavily in hardware and software development. Sony’s President and CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, has made the metaverse a significant growth area for the company, similar to Meta Platforms Inc. However, the industry has yet to see a significant return on investment for the technology.
Sony has also invested heavily in developing in-house game studios to rapidly introduce new VR-compliant headsets and games. However, the consumer interest in VR headsets has not met expectations, possibly due to the current economic climate.
The slow sales of the PSVR 2 headset are a setback for Sony’s ambitions to take a leading role in the development of the metaverse. Nonetheless, the company remains optimistic about the technology’s future and continues to invest in developing innovative hardware and software solutions for the metaverse. It remains to be seen how the technology will evolve and whether the market will eventually catch up to the industry’s investment in the metaverse.