A Sony exec reaffirmed that PSVR 2 is "important to us," but explained it's not the "core proposition" this season.
In a recent interview with Barron's (paywall), Eric Lempel, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Marketing, Sales & Business Operations at PlayStation, was questioned about the sales outlook for PS5 and PSVR 2 this holiday season. Calling the PS5 outlook "really strong," he calls VR a "category that can help with innovation" before calling PS5 the core focus.
Here's the full quote:
The VR category is important to us. It’s a category that can help us with innovation. It’s never going to be the only way people play games, but I’m happy that we’re in it. There are great experiences to be had and consumers really like it. But it’s a nascent business for us. It’s something that we want to be a part of but it’s not the core proposition we have this season. PlayStation 5 is the core.
Considering VR still fights for mainstream adoption, Lempel's comments aren't particularly surprising. In May, Sony confirmed PSVR 2 sold 600k units from its late February launch up until April, while PS5 surpassed 40 million units in July after launching in November 2020. The two aren't directly comparable despite PSVR 2 requiring PS5, but it's not hard to see why Sony is prioritizing the latter.
Despite a strong launch line-up with Horizon, Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil Village and more, there's been vocal criticism about PSVR 2's library ever since. Firewall Ultra received mixed reviews in August, there are currently no revealed upcoming 1st party games and recent last-minute indefinite delays for Vertigo 2 and Phasmophobia will only deepen frustrations.
With the recent Quest 3 launch putting these issues into greater perspective, Lempel's comments will likely do little to encourage existing PSVR 2 owners.
