IGN provides analysis that the recently released PlayStation VR2, which has been on the market for a year now (started selling on February 22, 2023), seems to lack a promising future. This is because Sony is not interested in developing exclusive VR games. Currently, PS VR2 has over 40 games to play, but almost all of them are ported from other platforms like Meta Quest or PS VR1. It has only 3 exclusive titles, with Horizon Call of the Mountain being the only true VR game, while the other 2, Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil 4 Remake, are just VR modes of regular games (plus, Resident Evil 4 VR has been ported to other platforms later on).
IGN criticizes the other games on PS VR2 as being “serviceable,” but these games can also be played on other platforms, especially Meta Quest, which is cheaper than the PS VR2 at $550 and does not require a PS5 console. Therefore, if Sony wants to boost sales of PS VR2, they need to invest in creating more VR games than this. However, Sony’s recent direction seems to be the opposite as they have recently shut down London Studio, which focused on VR games. Additionally, SIE’s business executives mentioned at the end of 2023 that PS VR2 is not selling well (PSVR2 was “a bit of a challenging category right now”).
Players who have purchased the PS VR2 have expressed dissatisfaction, stating that after a year, it’s not worth the money. Even though the hardware itself is good, without game support from Sony, it has no benefits.
In an attempt to address these issues, Sony is considering making the PS VR2 compatible with PCs by 2024, hoping to provide more games for customers who have already paid $550 for the headset and left it collecting dust.
The VR gaming business as a whole is not thriving, as even major companies like Ubisoft, who once invested in VR games, are backing off. The number of PC VR users, based on Steam statistics, has not seen significant growth, hovering around 1.5-2.5% since 2020. This market trend could affect other players like Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro.
TLDR: IGN analyzes that Sony’s PlayStation VR2 lacks a promising future due to a lack of exclusive VR games, leading to player dissatisfaction despite the headset’s capabilities. Sony is considering making the PS VR2 compatible with PCs to increase game availability. The wider VR gaming market is not booming, with companies like Ubisoft retracting VR investments and limited growth in PC VR users.
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